The Captain and the Blackthorn
by OnHisFaceIsAMapOfTheWorld
Summary: *EDITED*Started when he heard the rumor of the Living Weapon and decided to acquire it.Subsuqent story of Eustass Kidd and Blackthorn Burakkuson **Please read the NEW and IMPROVED story,The Blackthorn and The Captain;easier on eyes and better plot flow
1. Chapter 1

From authors notes: hello and welcome to my story! Thank you for taking time out of your very important day to read my work! This is my first fan fic, I posted it in with all its chapters done. I have been working on it for a long time, and constructive comments are always appreciated. In face, they make my world go round!

Note on rating: this is rated T for teen for mild swearing and some hormonal scenes, as well as some violence, but nothing too explicit. If that's not your cup of tea, take note: you are warned.

On my previous posting of this chapter I forgot to put out my disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, never have, never will, and will leave it in the capable hands of Oda. If I did own it, one VERY important, much loved(by me and others) character would not be gone.

Sorry this is long… I just want to thank my three best friends, for their support, threats, bribes and brains to bounce ideas off of. Without you guys, I don't know if I would have gotten very far on this. Thanks for keeping me going! And thanks to poisonliz, for giving me my first review! It made me squeal and jump for joy, making my family think I am farther gone than initially thought. Thanks for reading my really long authors note and please enjoy my story!

Burakkuson "Blackthorn" and Eustass "Captain" Kidd

Title: The Captain and the Blackthorn

Chapter 1

Eustass Kidd, Captain of the Kidd pirates, stood at the front of his ship, arms crossed over his bare chest, fingering the dagger that was strapped there next to his gun. He cut an imposing figure, his captain's cloak swaying in the steady breeze that filled his ship's sails. His averagely tall, well muscled body, still pale even after sailing from South Blue, was in sharp contrast to his flame shaped crimson hair and golden eyes. He had no eyebrows, dark lips and nails that were long and black. Said nails were ominously tapping his dagger, his eyes glaring out at the ocean. The crew was avoiding him, knowing from previous experience that when he was in this mood, it was best to avoid him at all costs. The only member immune to the killing aura coming off of Kidd was his first mate, Killer. Killer was always at Kidd's side, through thick and thin, and was his right hand and first nakama. Being such a loyal nakama meant that Killer was standing quietly behind Kidd as the captain fumed. The crew had to agree that they made a lethal combination. Killers name wasn't for nothing. He killed people by the hundreds with his spinning blades and impossibly quick speed. However, the fear he generated wasn't just because of his well won reputation and superhuman skills. Everyone fears what they can't see, what is unknown and strange. Besides his tremendous skill, whenever someone died by his hand, they couldn't even see his face. He wore a mask that covered his entire head, leaving only his long, choppy blond hair free to feel the wind and the sun. The mask had holes going up in two lines vertically, but whether he could see out of them or not was a mystery as well.

Killer was waiting patiently for Kidd to decide whether or not to act on the information they had heard on the last island. Apparently the Marines had found a "living weapon" hibernating in the area of the island of Ohara after it had been destroyed. Rumor had it that it looked like a person in almost every way. It had its own free will and was extremely powerful. They had existed since before the Void Era, and since everything from before and during that era was forbidden, this creature had to be exterminated. There were even rumors that the living weapons were one of the only things that the world government feared that could throw out the balance of power, and destroy the government itself. This one had apparently hidden itself so well that it took the Marines years to actually get to it. The Kidd pirates had learned that there was a highly likely chance that the living weapons and the Marines did not get along at ALL. The Marines were now transporting it to the Marine Headquarters. It had been decided that instead of killing it right off, it was to be studied, tortured, used and replicated for their own twisted justice. Then the original was to be destroyed. Their transportation route was about 50 miles south of their current position, heading in a north easterly direction. In short, if Kidd changed their route just a small bit, they could intercept and destroy a Marine fleet, always good for raising bounties in Kidd's book, and steal a top secret extremely dangerous weapon for their own use against the government. However, the couple of drawbacks that kept even the reckless, violent Kidd from acting were the facts that one, there might be an Admiral on board, though that was deemed unlikely due to the hastiness of the mission. Two was that the living weapon might not be pleased when it woke up to find itself on a Marine ship. It might be so displeased that it would destroy everything in a 50 mile radius, including the pirates. Kidd was reckless, but he was also intelligent. He had a dream, and wasn't ready to die quite yet, or risk the lives of his crew.

He turned to Killer, "Do you think our source for this information was accurate?" Killer faced Kidd and calmly said, "There is a small chance he was lying to save himself, but given the amount of pain that we put that Marine through, I doubt his mind could have formed such an extravagant, detailed lie on the spot." Kidd nodded in response and continued looking out at the sea. One of the reasons he valued Killer so much was because he always said it like it was, no beating around the bush or lying. He weighed pros and cons, the facts and the lies, and gave his honest answer to a question or problem.

Suddenly Kidd turned around with his trademark maniac grin, his cloak flapping in the wind, and announced, "Men, we're gonna go kick some Marine butt and their pride all the way to hell!" His crew roared in satisfaction, and Killer nodded, already planning for the upcoming battle and subsequent capture of the living weapon. Kidd strode over the wheel and spun it around with a flourish, blood lust rising at the thought of a good fight.

The Marine on watch scanned the horizon, aware that they carried important cargo that would be a flashing beacon to any wandering pirates. However, he was unaware of how big their enemy would be until it was almost on top of them. Alarms were sounded as men ran to their battle positions, using their ships to create a barrier between the pirates and the precious cargo.

Kidd just grinned his homicidal grin that scared the crap out of anyone unlucky enough to see it. He stood at the front of his crew, who were pacing like hungry hyenas behind him. He counted the ships and turned to Killer. "Ten ships. Five for both of us. Once your done come meet me at the ship in the center behind the barricade." Killer nodded as the crew roared, ready to back their captain and first mate to the death.

Kidd turned, and with his grin still on his face, slowly lifted his left arm towards the left five ships. "… Repel!" all the Marines screamed in shock as their weapons were lifted up into the air, flying toward the small pirate ship. Every ship shot off mortars and cannons, trying to overwhelm the pirate ship and send it to the ocean floor. Then Kidd brought up his right arm, "Repel!" and sent the lethal rain of metal bombs flying back into their ships. His eyes lit up as the flames from the ships caught in his eyes and the screams of the Marines floated to his ears. By then his metal hand extension had formed, created from all the marine metal that hadn't been tied down. The second it was done, Killer jumped on top of it and practically flew to the other ships still mostly intact from the return of their bombs. Kidd laughed and laughed as he swung his hand like a hammer, smashing the ships one by one, feeling the power coursing through his whole body, making him seem invincible. Once the ship was close enough the crew took care of the remaining Marines as Kidd and Killer continued on to the last ship left intact. Kidd and Killer went back to back, Kidd taking the weapons and using them against their owners, and Killer with his beautiful deadly rain of spinning blades. Within minutes there was not a soul alive but for Kidd and his crew. His crew stood guard on deck of the last ship, while Kidd, Killer, and Zombie man went below decks to see what exactly it was they had acquired.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As he walked Kidd felt a strange pressure growing at the back of his head, a sense of being watched and weighed. Each step was tougher than the last, till they were all breathing heavily. Suddenly Kidd felt a door in front of them, and a room made entirely of metal. He grinned and tore the door of the wall and walked into a brightly lit metal cell. He walked to the center of the room where the creature was hung from chains connected to its neck, waist, wrists and ankles. Around it was a huge fire, taller than Kidd and almost touching the things face. As he squinted at it, he was almost sure the expression on the things face was acute pain and a terrible black rage. _So this was the pressure_, he thought,_ that pervaded my mind and weakened my body._ He walked around it very carefully, fully aware and wary of this powerful, ancient weapon. He couldn't really see it well due to the flames, but he was sure it was a female with strange scars on her face. Without turning around Kidd motioned to Zombie man. The man jumped forward, contemplated the fire, then jumped in it. As he stood on it, he closed his eyes and sucked in quickly. The fire leapt into his mouth, where he then proceeded to swallow it. The fire was smaller, not gone. Frowning, Kidd repelled the door and used it to smother the remaining fire. When it was gone, he continued his study of the living weapon. _Yes, _he mused,_ defiantly a female._ She was beautiful in a dark, almost sinister way, with caramel brown skin and long, wildly curly black hair flecked with green. She was sturdily built, slender, muscularly toned for a female, of medium height and tough looking. What Kidd initially thought was scars actually looked like tattoos. Her forehead was slightly obscured because of her insanely curly hair, but he saw what looked like a delicate, star shaped white flower. Coming out of the flower was a vine, a vine of large, evil looking thorns. It flowed down her face and draped gracefully down her neck and on her left shoulder before intricately wrapping around her left arm. There were a few buds and blossoms on the vine, all smaller than the one on her forehead. Her clothes were all torn and he could see many scars all over her body. She looked to be about 19 or 20, but the very air was saturated with ancient knowledge and power, centering around her.

As Kidd was coolly evaluating her, her eyes suddenly snapped open like a bird of preys on its victim, shooting venomous rage like twisted daggers into his mind. He grimaced but stood his ground, refusing to back down from a fight and determined to win. He had a goal and he was going to reach it; giving up and dying here and now was not going to happen! She looked at him, seeming somewhat surprised, and upon looking at her surroundings, seemed somewhat relived. She closed her eyes for a moment, then slowly opened them, again looking at him.

This whole time the only thing that had moved was her. Killer was by Kidd's side, ready to jump in at any second, and Zombie man was on Kidd's other side, focused on the threat to his captain. She looked at them, back at him, then down again to where the scorch marks were from the fire. Kidd found her expression somewhat amusing. She looked almost lost hanging there. He chuckled and her head snapped up, looking at him warily. His crew men relaxed, just slightly. He looked up at the girl and decided. "Girl." She looked at him, and nodded slowly in understanding; "I want you to join my crew." Killer stood straight up, taken by surprise. "Kidd, we know almost nothing about this thing! You want it on our crew when you don't even know what it is or if you can trust it?" Kidd glanced at Killer, grinned his maniac grin and turned back to the girl. "Girl," he said, "what is your name?" She looked at the floor, silent. _She seems almost, exhausted_, he thought. _But hasn't she been hibernating or in hiding for a long time now?_ She looked at him suddenly, and he felt the pressure from before, more intense, as if she was weighing him somehow. He snarled and glared at her, putting up a fight in his own head.. She looked surprised, then a small smile played across her lips. _I_, she whispered into his mind,_ Am Called Burakkuson_. Kidd grinned, knowing he had won that round. _Blackthorn… interesting name,_ he thought._ I… Am The Physical Form… of… the Demon Tree, The... Blackthorn._ She sighed, seeming exhausted from that simple exchange. Kidd contemplated her exhausted figure, and sensing no threat, decided to free her on one condition. Out loud, he said, "Burakkuson, I have a deal for you. If you swear loyalty to me, Eustass "Captain" Kidd, Captain of the Kidd pirates, to join my crew and listen only to me, answer only to me, then I will release you from this prison."

Burakkuson closed her eyes and thought to herself;_ I have spent most of my power and energy trying to stay hidden, and then again trying to force my waking. But now that I am found, it would be best to at least disappear a little. I don't have the energy to send myself into a Hidden Sleep again. But if I stay with a crew, I put their lives in danger, even more than just by simply existing. I have done so much in my past… this man doesn't even know me and wants me on his crew… but he doesn't know what he is getting into… _she smiled grimly._ For now, I will play his game. As it is, I owe him my life and my freedom, so there isn't much getting out of it. But if he interferes with my goals, I will not allow it._ She growled softly out loud._ I haven't grown through hell and back and then into hell again to not finish what I started._

She looked up, clear eyed and fully aware of her surroundings and her decision. "I will come with you," she said, her voice ringing like chimes blown gently by a wind coming through the forest, "on the condition that you know what you are getting into. I am what you humans call a living weapon. I have a long, dangerous and bloody past. The government is after me and is willing to use its considerable resources to get me. You need to know that I wish to remain for the most part, anonymous. I have no desire to end up in their hands again, nor have you and your crew's blood on my hands if they do find me with you. I have a will of my own, goals and dreams, and I treasure them and my freedom above most everything else. I will tie myself to you, human, body and soul for the rest of my life, because I owe you my life and my freedom. But if you interfere with my dreams, my goals, I will not tolerate it. Do you understand?" Kidd's grin only got bigger, and his eyes narrowed as he chuckled. "Then do we have a deal?" he asked, his eyes gleaming with the mania that raged on his face. She slowly grinned back, fangs protruding slightly and her startlingly blue/black, purple flecked eyes lighting with the fire of his challenge, interested despite herself in this violent, ruthless man. "Yes."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Kidd grinned at her answer and reply. "Repel!" The metal room never had a chance. Bolts came whizzing out of the walls, dropping the chains and his new crew member onto the floor. She seemed to almost float down, touching the scorched ground softly, warily. She was on edge, and seemed tired, but Kidd could tell how tough she was just by the way she held herself. She was in a fighters pose, balanced on her toes, ready to take flight or fight at a moment's notice. He held out his hand and removed the rest of the metal from her body. As he did, it seemed like a greater weight than just metal had been removed from her shoulders. She rolled her arms and her body experimentally; stretching and doing a standing back flip before reaching to where he assumed her weapons should have been. She frowned slightly, and started to look around. "Are your weapons metal?" he asked.

"For the most part, yes."

"Then I will find them for you." She seemed slightly surprised he would do that for her, a complete stranger. He grinned and closed his eyes, summoning every piece of metal from the ship into a line that snaked around the room. He opened his eyes and his grin grew bigger. "Take a look". She was still cautious around him, so he wanted to make this a gesture of good will. Fear was all well and good for motivation, but with someone like her, a little more finesse was needed. Besides, he was never one to waste an opportunity to show off.

Burakkuson looked around at the metal floating around her, impressed by his control of his Devil Fruit ability. She found a new respect for this obviously powerful man, her new Captain. She walked around, searching more with her mind than her eyes for the weapons that were an extension of her body.

He saw her eyes light up as she located her weapons in the mass. As she kept picking up more and more, he began to wonder where she kept it all…

She was almost bouncing with happiness at locating her weapons. She softly crooned their names and began to place them in their rightful places. "KageHokousha, my Shadow Walker. Chaos, bringer of darkness." She picked up a few daggers, speaking softly, "You're all here, and we can continue what we started so long ago, my friends…"she hummed softly, picking out her shuriken and throwing daggers until she came to the last of her weapons. "Ahh…" she said, gently picking up what looked like wrist guards to Kidd's eyes. She examined them, then nodded, her smile sweet and sinister as she caressed the weapons. She smiled and softly hummed to herself as she strapped the wrist guards on, then with a flick of her arms and wrists, one blade snapped out, then two, than three blades from each of her wrists. There was a pause, then another one snapped out from underneath her wrists. She crossed them in front of her chest, examining them with a critical eye. "No damage…" she mumbled, retracting them, then proceeded to place her shuriken in hidden compartments on the extension knives. The 5 throwing daggers she placed in sheaths wrapped around her right arm, with the rest of the small throwing daggers and shuriken placed into a pouch she had wrapped around her thigh, one on her back and one on her left leg. The swords were crossed in their scabbards over her back by using a sash to make an X shaped carrying design. Her dirks were put into her sash on her waist, two on the right side and one on the left. Then she searched the room for her two packs, finding them in a hidden compartment in the ceiling. One went on her back, the other hooked to her intricate belt.

She turned to Kidd, who had watched the whole reunion process with much interest. She turned and smiled at him, hair fanned out, fangs and all. "Ready." Kidd just grinned and turned around, Killer and Zombie flanking him. As they turned, she fingered a key that had suddenly appeared in a necklace around her neck. _We fooled those marines good_, she thought_. They never thought I would keep such a treasure on my person, much less in my body… ancient practices sure do come in handy sometimes_, she thought wryly._ Glad I at least learned that one…_ _I wonder what life is going to throw at me now? _


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

They walked up the steps, getting closer and closer to a world Burakkuson thought she had left behind. She was nervous and excited, ready to see the sun again, to feel the wind through her hair and the sun and sea spray on her face. But man, she was hungry and so very tired…

Kidd was walking ahead, but keeping an eye on his new crew mate. He could tell she was the type to keep her word, and he knew that he had gained a powerful, dangerous ally. However, at the moment she looked a little worse for wear, and he didn't want to lose her before the journey even started.

Before she knew it, she was dangling in the air; feeling spikes dig into her ribs and eating a fuzzy coat, watching the steps recede behind her. She started flailing and yelling "Wha – Wai - Wait a second, I am perfectly capable of walking on my own, what are you do-UGH?" She didn't get a change to finish her sentence because the perpetrator of said dangling had shifter her weight, causing her to yet again, eat more fuzzy coat. While she tried to spit it out, he said, "you may be a very powerful weapon from ancient times, but right now you are tired and most likely hungry from an enforced fast and inaction. I can't have you passing out before we even get started. Besides, I like grand entrances, and this will definitely be a good one," he grinned. _Great_, she thought,_ I have tied myself to an egotistical, power crazy homicidal maniac. Good choice, Burakkuson. Your choice in men has always been admirable… for its bad judgment. Way to keep the streak going. Don't give up now._

Kidd chuckled, listening to her grumble._ She's a feisty one, gonna have to watch her very closely… this audda make things more interesting on board… _

The doors leading outside flew open in front of Kidd, with him striding around, a maniac grin on his face at the reaction of his crew to his prize. However, he did set her down once on the ship. She hadn't said anything since coming outside. He looked at her face and realized that she was reacquainting herself with her surroundings, with sunlight and air and sea. She had been hiding for so long, it must be a shock to see such things again, he thought. She just stood there, her eyes half closed, and it seemed like she was actually absorbing the sunlight. Then she turned to him, and surprised him by giving him the brightest smile he had ever been on the receiving end of. Her blue/black eyes shone brightly and the sunlight caught the purple flecks in her eyes, giving them life and brilliance. Her smile was one of sincere joy, even with the fangs. Her black hair shone in the sun, the green glints becoming more noticeable in the sunlight. Her curls flew around her body like a curtain of brilliant darkness, at peace in the light. His eyes widened in surprise. No one had ever smiled at him like that. They had always been mocking smiles replaced by fear and then death once he was done with them. He didn't know how to react to this kind of smile. But then it turned mischievous, and in the blink of an eye she was in the crows nest, yelling some sort of war cry. He just shook his head and told his crew that that crazy thing was their new crew member, goes by the name of Burakkuson. He then reached his arm out and took advantage of all of her metal weapons by dragging her down from the crow's nest, protesting and yelling the whole way down. He then floated her behind him all the way to the captain's office.

On the floor of his office he plopped her down. He sat in his chair, and stuck his feet on his desk. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. Despite protesting the whole way here, she still sat where he had put her, and was panting slightly. He looked at Killer and told him to bring in a soup and juice for Burakkuson. She looked up and protested weakly, but Killer was already gone. _I… will be fine.. I just need some time to recover and deal with the after affects of what I did… _Kidd looked at her, skepticism written all over his face. "First, food. Then, sleep. That is what you will be doing for the next week." She looked up in alarm, adrenaline giving her enough strength the make a run for the door and the sun. However, even with her adrenaline rush she was no match for a very powerful Kidd. He caught her before she could even reach for the door handle. "Repel." She froze, trying to wriggle out of the situation, which caused no end of amusement for Kidd. She turned and glared poisoned daggers at the man who was keeping her away from her beloved sunlight. He just grinned and pushed her against the left wall. He let her dangle there, and slowly walked over to where his prey was trying valiantly to free herself. "Struggling does nothing; the only way you can escape me is if you have no metal on you. Even then, I'm sure I could catch you normally in the state you are in." He dropped his grin and matched her glare for glare, putting both hands next to her head. "I am your Captain. You will do as I say. I need you to be recovered and useful in a week's time, and if that means staying in bed, eating and sleeping, then you will!" Burakkuson just looked at him, willing him to fall over and pass out so she could go outside. He sighed. "You are only making this hard on yourself… I however, find it rather entertaining." Just then Killer walked in with the soup and juice the cook had prepared for malnourished dehydrated patients.

_Well…_ Burakkuson thought,_ I am starving…_ and so Kidd worked on his ships log while she ate. He was making sure she ate all of it and not too fast. By the time she was done, she was full to burst and falling asleep on the floor. Kidd rolled his eyes and sighed. "WAKE UP YOU LAZY BAKA!" she was instantly awake, crouched and pulling out a dagger, her sword halfway out of its scabbard, before she realized what was going on. She stood up and replaced her weapons, yawning and rubbing her eye. Kidd motioned for her to follow him, and with the only explanation being that she was practically sleep walking, she followed him quietly into the extra broom closet that was her room. She didn't care what it was. She just wanted somewhere to rest. She collapsed on the little bed that felt like a down feather mattress to her tired body, and pulled up the well worn blankets around her body, sighing into the flat pillow, immediately falling back asleep._ Not even a thank you_,Kidd grumbled, just as a stray thought crept its way into his head…_ "Thanks… "_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

For the next week Burakkuson slept, waking occasionally to eat and walk around the ship, getting her bearings in the new environment. The crew was told to keep an eye on her, and if she seemed tired at all, was sent or forced back to her room. Usually she was so tired by the end of a walk that she didn't mind going back to her room. She may have been sleeping for about 19 years, but it was a forced sleep, more of a freezing of her body while her mind was freer. And she had to remain hidden, then try to deter the marines as they got closer and closer to her body, then force herself to wake up to escape. All in all, it took a huge toll on her, mentally and physically.

So she slept, slowly regaining her strength. She didn't see much of Kidd unless she was out on deck, and when she did see him, she kept her distance, willing to just watch him from afar. She wanted to see how he worked, how his ship ran, and what her place was going to be. On her walks she became acquainted with the crew, learning their names and their jobs on the ship. Kidd had a small crew, but it was efficient and loyal. They were also very… extreme. Every single one of them was dressed literally to kill in leather and spikes, and all of them were intimidating to look at. She leaned over the rail, fingering her key, staring out at sea. She let a small smile work its way onto her face, thinking about some of the slightly ridiculous outfits the crew wore. Killer was the only one who wore semi normal clothes, but he was the strangest, wearing a helmet thing, only letting his hair out. She turned around, fighting a yawn, not ready to go back yet. She was enjoying the sun and salty air so much… As she turned, she noticed Kidd standing on the upper deck, next to the steersman. He was staring out the front of his ship, his customary frown on his face. She smiled slowly, watching his cloak fly in the wind. He certainly did cut an imposing figure, she thought wryly. Almost as if he heard her thoughts, he turned his frown towards her. She smiled and put her hand in the air, satisfied to see a brief look of surprise cross his face. She laughed softly, for this first time in a long time. He motioned her to come up next to him, an imperious look on his face. She sighed, knowing that her legs were getting tired. It had only been three days, after all, and if she looked shaky or tired at all, he would send her back, she knew. So she gathered her strength and pushed off the railing, walking with her hands in her ripped pockets, taking her time. When she finally got up next to him, he looked like he was going to explode. She smirked, loving how she needled him. She may be on his crew, but there were some things that needed to be made clear.

He spoke, his voice gravelly, "Did you enjoy your leisurely stroll up here, Burakkuson?" She just looked at him and nodded, a smile in her eyes. He noticed that her color was better, and nodded in satisfaction. He had a couple questions for her, and he wanted her fully alert to answer them.

"Why are you so tired after sleeping for who knows how long?" He looked forward, but kept his eye on her face, watching for facial reactions. She sighed, knowing it was inevitable that he had some questions. She did owe him. She was nothing if not honorable. She would answer what she could.

"It was a forced Hidden Sleep that allows my body to freeze in time and my mind to escape the confines of my body. Using it requires that my body is "asleep" but my mind is constantly awake. My awareness spread out farther, and it tires me. But the main drain was trying to stay hidden from the Marines. They do know what they are doing when it comes to… me, and have worked over the centuries on ways to track and subdue me." _I can't tell him about the others… I have to keep them safe!_ "Then I had to work at forcing my Waking after I was caught. It takes a long time to come out safely and in full strength. I only had a few weeks, when it normally takes about a few months." She waited patiently for his next question, having an idea what it was.

He looked at her, slowly realizing that there was more to this person than meets the eye, even more so than he thought before. "Exactly how old are you?" he eyed her, sure that she looked about 20. She smiled grimly. "I am 920 years old." Kidd just looked at her, not believing her. She continued to smile grimly as she explained, "I was 20 years old when the Void Era began. My very existence is a crime to the world government, to the people who eradicated my people and civilization from history." There was complete silence as her words floated over the crew. She kept going, trying to get them to see sense. "This key," she said, holding it in her fist, "is one key to a place that is sacred to me. This key is all I have left of someone, and she gave it to me to protect. And now I protect the place this key belongs to. It is my most precious possession, and I have killed for it." her eyes hardened. "Many have died for it. The most recent being the island of Ohara." She stopped, looking thoughtful. "All except… maybe there is one…" She shook her head and grinned. "Do you see what you have gotten yourselves into? The government is aware that I still exist, and will hunt me down mercilessly. I am a key to what they want." She looked out, knowing that having heard that, Kidd would kick her off the ship as soon as he could, not wanting to tangle in such a mess. She heard a demonic laugh, and turned, face blank, as Kidd bent over double, laughing his head off. Killer just looked at her, looking almost bored and she thought for a moment that maybe Kidd had gone mad. When he looked at her, he straightened to his full height, well above her average height, and grinned.

"About time something interesting happened. Killer, with her around, our bounties are bound to rise."

"Definitely."

She just stared at them, aware now that the whole crew was mad. She just stared at him. "Well, don't say I didn't warn you."

He looked at her, another question coming. "How have you stayed alive all this time?" Her face hardened, and she looked away. "I am a Living Weapon. I was designed to stay alive no matter the circumstances. I was given a task, a burden that I must carry out over the centuries. I have been genetically modified to live as long as I need to fulfill my task, as well as be very difficult to kill, something that was difficult to do even in my time. It was a shot in the dark, but it worked. And I curse it every day," she ended quietly. He watched her, aware she wasn't telling him everything. He wouldn't push her for now. She would tell him everything sooner or later. He grinned at her, very glad he had decided to acquire her. She would definitely make things more interesting!

He had one more question for the moment. "Why were you in the location of the destroyed island Ohara?" she looked away, a look of great grief and pain crossing her face. She stared out, back in the direction of the destroyed island.

"It was… home. For awhile at least. I could always go there, when I became too tired to travel anymore. Its library was beautiful, very well done and well loved. The people there accepted me, even knowing that I was a monster, knowing I couldn't tell them about myself. I would go back over the years, just to recuperate. It reminded me of a place from long ago…" her voice drifted off, her eyes distant as she recalled the places she had called home. Both had been destroyed. She had begun to wonder if everything she touched died…

After this conversation, Kidd had been called away by the arrival of the newspaper and the bounty posters. Burakkuson sighed, slightly relived that she her interrogation was over and she could sit down. She backed up and sank gratefully to the deck, her back resting against the rails. A few minutes after she closed her eyes and turned her face to the sun, she felt a presence walk over and crouch in front of her. She cracked her eye open, eyeing the man in front of her. Killer was impossible to read, so she just waited, knowing that if he had something he wanted to say, he would say it eventually. She closed her eyes, nodding to him and sitting in a halfway meditative pose. After a few minutes, he spoke.

"We are on heading to our fourth island. We are not sure how many our route will take us to, but we are guessing about ten. The captain would like you to be present as we go over our route." She snorted softly, so sure that Kidd had phrased it that way. She grinned slightly at Killer, then groaned and heaved herself up. She wobbled a bit, and before she knew it Killer was carrying her to Kidd's office. She was so surprised and shocked that she didn't say anything until they reached the hallway leading to Kidd's office. This was definitely not in what she had pictured as Killer's character. Once they got to the door, she patted him on the arm, looking up warily at the masked Massacre Man.

"While I appreciate the help, I would now prefer to move on my own power, especially in front of him. Even if you do end up telling him of my weakness, I want to walk in on my own two feet." Killer nodded understandingly, and again, surprisingly gently, set her down. She was fine; she had just stood up too quickly earlier. She nodded to him, took a deep breath and followed Killer into the captain's office.

It's lucky he has such a small crew, she thought later, languishing by the open window, trying to get some fresh air. Are there no other females on this ship? She thought despairingly. She chuckled. Kidd whipped his head to her direction, glaring. "What's so funny?" he snarled. She lazily looked over at him, smiling slightly. "Don't worry; I wouldn't dare laugh at you. You are far too sensitive. It was just a thought I had…" he glared, but continued talking and planning with the crew. She wandered back to the desk where the maps were scattered around and the log unkempt. She looked at the mess with a raised eyebrow, not knowing how they got anything done in such a disorganized mess. She knew she wasn't the most organized person around, but she was better than a ship of six men, apparently. She silently began to pull together all the notes that the crew had made and tried to line them up with the maps and diagrams. She could tell Kidd was smart, as was some members of his crew, keeping track of progress and writing necessary information, but it was all over the place. So she weaved in and out of the arguing men, listening to them with one ear and pulling out documents one by one and creating a somewhat better organized logbook, including in it the maps, diagrams and notes done by the crew. Slowly the crew began to realize what she was doing and watched her lazily, and then with respect as the mess became something even they could make sense of. As Kidd watched her, an idea formed in his head. He put his hand on the desk and leaned over to her, a slight smile on his face. She looked up at him warily, not sure what that face was for.

"Burakkuson, you need to earn your place on this ship. It isn't a free for all crew, only those who can handle the pressure and danger, and will follow me unconditionally, are allowed on board." She personally thought that all you needed was a scary aura and weird clothes, but she kept a straight face so as not to enrage him. He stared at her, watching her eyes for her reaction. "I am the Captain and the navigator. Killer is the first mate. Fire Zombie is the doctor, Devil man is the gunner, Mohawk is the cook, and Spike is the shipwright. There are other duties done on board as well that we divvy up according to talent and what I think is best. And I have decided," He grinned, pushing all the papers towards her, "that you are going to be the ships Log keeper. You will keep detailed records of what happens on this ship. You seem to have abilities in those areas anyways, and since I don't have to patience to write everything, you will do it. Besides," he added in a thoughtful aside, "there is a lot out there that we are not aware of or know a lot about that holds some interest for me, that you seem to know about. Also, since you have lived in the Grand Line for most of your very long life, I want to have access to your experiences and weather/navigation expertise. I expect you to notify me immediately if you notice something change in the weather or the sea. We have been doing fine, but a little advanced warning helps keep the ship intact. Got it?" she looked at him with new respect in her eyes. Even if he was young and reckless, He wasn't the captain for nothing! He was smart, ruthless, and determined. He knew how to organize his ship and his assets. He had a lot of faults to be sure, like being reckless and short tempered, but he knew how to act in tight situations. Those he attracted to him were loyal to a tee. She smiled absently, already absorbed in her task. It was one she was good at, and one she would have done anyway. She felt a steady anger beating on her mind, and looked up, eyes distant, already trying to make plans. Kidd's hands slammed down on the maps and half filled notebooks. "Do you understand, Burakkuson?" she nodded firmly. "Leave it to me, Captain," with a small, wry smile on her face. She made a mental note to never forget how short tempered he was. She knew she could take him, but not in her current condition. Besides, this bizarre crew and its captain were kind of growing on her, with their ruthlessness and recklessness. They were strange, make no doubt about it. She smirked, thinking; But then again, so am I!

By the end of the week, she was done being in that room.

She slowly backed up, hands out in a placating gesture, like she would with a particularly violent tiger or leopard. "There is really no need to be this angry…" she dodged a barrage of metal, diving between rails and barrels, trying to make it to higher ground. Her strategic retreat was not yielding much fruit, with the angry metal man already knowing what she was trying to do and successfully blocking all attempts at escape. She ducked down behind lashed barrels, breathing lightly, trying to think of a way to word her argument as quickly as possible, seeing as how she only had about 5 seconds before he tried to catch her again. The barrels on either side of her exploded, revealing two metal hands that started to turn around, aiming right for her hiding place. She jumped up, landing lightly on top of the metal, before streaking off towards the stairs. Suddenly she heard a whistle behind her, and rolled just as a metal band whizzed over her head, ruffling her hair and embedding itself into the wall in front of her. She slowly looked up at it from her crouched position, apprehensively turning to look behind her.

The violent, flame haired captain in question was standing about 20 feet behind her, breathing hard as he glared at her angrily. She stood slowly, trying to explain to him that it was that _one_ time that she felt dizzy, that she had wobbled and Killer had carried her. She silently glared at the Massacre Man, letting him know that she blamed him for her current misfortunes. Of course, she could discern no emotion from the masked man, which just piqued her anger even more. But right now, she had a large, muscular, literal fighting machine going crazy in front of her, currently taking up most of her attention. She tried to explain again, "It was just that one time I am FINE now, really I don't need to go in there again…" at least she got most of it out before he snarled and lunged at her, throwing every scrap of metal he could get his metaphorical and literal hands on, at her. She jumped up, landing on the railings that separated the upper and lower decks. She grinned, triumphant, before ducking down and zig zagging, avoiding the random flying pieces of metal. He leaped up, one hand on the rails with the other out, controlling the whirling metal, his cloak flying in the wind he created. She shivered, his face full of pointed anger. Pointed right at her. He snarled, leaping over the rails and smashing through barrels, determined to get his way. Sometimes his determination is just plain not healthy, she thought frantically, whipping her head around, looking for an escape route. The sad thing is, though, is that there are not many hidey holes or escape routes on a ship. In the middle of an ocean.

The only route left for the cornered Burakkuson was the door behind her that led to captains office and a few storage rooms. So she spun around and flung the door open, slamming it shut again in one fluid motion. _Damn that man!_ She thought. He is over reacting! She thought as she sunk to her knees, her strength spent from avoiding and escaping a crazed captain. She sat there panting, hands shaking. She eyed them with distaste and clenched them into fists. Suddenly the door flew open, silhouetting the large stature of her captain, his cloak flying out from the force of his entry. She rolled to the far wall and tried to stand to find a back door, knowing that running was pointless but her pride wouldn't let her be beat by this human. She didn't have time or energy to avoid the flying projectiles this go round. She dodged the first few, but he had gotten smarter while she had gotten tired, and was able to predict her slowing moves. One of the projectile metal bands caught her wrist as she started to fall, slamming it into the wall. She hung there, only will power keeping her from supporting her entire body on that one arm. He stalked over, not saying a word. His face said it all anyways, she thought. She was royally screwed. Diplomacy was not going to work here.

"I'm going crazy in there!" she yelled at Kidd as he dragged her back to her cell… room… again. "I am mostly recovered! I have been in far worse situations than this with less recovery time and have been able to function just fine! I have been trying to tell you this, but you just won't listen to me you BAKAMONO!" She was hanging over his shoulder as she yelled at him, so she noticed immediately when Kidd stopped abruptly. She was yanked around and slammed into the wall. She was too surprised and tired to struggle so she just dangled there looking up at a very, very angry Captain. "What… did you just call me?" he growled softly. She looked thoughtful for a minute, then said, "You mean what I called you out loud, in my head, or both?" she grinned at him, knowing she had thrown a barb that was going to stick. She was aware that she wasn't fully recovered and that needling him was a very bad idea, but her pride wouldn't let her be treated like a child. She was older than _him_ for heaven's sake! She was strong enough now to function at normal levels. Besides, she liked to heckle him, make him angry and annoyed. She didn't know why. She just didn't like how cocky he was.

She was brought abruptly back to reality by a growl and a sharp pain on her neck. She just stood there in shock, feeling the blood drip down her shoulder and down to the floor. She touched her neck, then looked up slowly at the man who currently had her blood on his smirking mouth. His arm that wasn't holding her up against the wall was next to her head. He chuckled darkly at the shocked look on her face. "Maybe that will teach you to not back talk me in the future, and to _listen_ to my orders the first time." Then he turned with a flick of his cloak and left her standing there, still in shock, blood oozing down from underneath her hand.

_... What the HECK was that?_ She thought, bringing her hand up to her eyes, contemplating the red there with a bemused look. _I haven't seen my blood in so long… usually my body regenerates small wounds like this quickly… I'm not as healed as I thought_, she grumbled, refusing to think about the strangeness of that incident. Around the corner, Kidd crossed his arms and leaned up against the wall, his face hidden in the shadows. He grinned as he heard her grumble and shuffle around, waiting until he heard her door close. He chuckled softly, pushed off the wall, and strode out on deck to take care of more boring tasks.

The next day there were no escapades from the new crewmember. The crew was on constant alert, checking every nook and cranny with their eyes, the men in the crow's nest warily waiting for her to pop up suddenly and kick them out. They had learned from the past couple to days that she would do almost anything for a few seconds of deck time and that she could pop up out of nowhere, the crow's nest being her favorite place. Even with Kidd's threats since the day Killer had to catch and carry her to the meeting, and the carry out of said threats, she was constantly finding some way out. Some of the crew members had to chuckle a little at her determination and lack of fear of their very fear inspiring captain. They could see a love of the sea in her eyes whenever she made it out and gazed out at the vast ocean. So whenever she was out, and Kidd was nowhere around, they would give her little tips and advice on how the ship ran, maybe even a story or two. Burakkuson was unaware that when Kidd came upon her listening to a story or taking advice, he wouldn't immediately take her back. He wanted the crew to get used to her, and her to the crew. She was slowly thawing to being here, even though he could still feel a huge wall between her and the rest of the world. He didn't know what made it, but all he was concerned about was her getting acquainted with the crew and the ship.

But today she wasn't even trying to get out of her room. He growled and paced, bored out of his mind. They wouldn't reach the next island for a couple hours, and he was growing restless. She had kept him occupied for the past week, and now he didn't have anything interesting to do. He suddenly stopped, turned and strode off the deck; he was sure she was up to something big. He stomped his way to her room and yanked the door open to find… that she was reading. He just stood there, filling up the doorway with his broad shoulders. It was this blocking of light that eventually got her attention. She looked up, her eyes spaced out, her brain still stuck in the book she was reading. Slowly her eyes adjusted and she recognized the blocker of the light. She looked at him. He looked at her. "… Could you please move? You're blocking my light." She was slightly annoyed that he hadn't moved already. Can't he see that I'm reading? He still just stood there, looking around, sure she was doing something diabolical. She sighed and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she continued reading. He looked at her again.

"Why did you ask me to move if you're not even going to use light to read?" she looked up at him, and he saw that her pupil had dilated to a very large size. Not only that, but it was shaped like a cat's-eye. She blinked slowly, "this is why I don't need the light. This is a sign that I am recovering quickly now. So is this." And she pointed at her fully healed neck. "I have the ability to regenerate my body if it is wounded. Usually this is a painful process and takes a lot of energy, but with a small wound like this one, it can heal in a night with no problem." She grinned mischievously. "Soon I will be at full capacity. I would say… less than two days." He looked at her skeptically. It had only been a week after all. Suddenly her face went hard. "You forget," she said harshly, "that I am a weapon. My regenerating ability is key to my usefulness. I am not like you humans. I am a different kind of monster." She grinned suddenly, looking down as her hands unconsciously stroked her weapons, rivaling Kidd's face when the bloodlust was on him. "Soon… I can complete what I started. And," she paused, looking up at him, "I can help you with your dream as well."

He continued to look at her, leaning up against the doorway. He turned abruptly, took a few steps down the hall, then without turning said, "Come." She was surprised, but tucked her book into her sash and warily followed him. Before they left the hall, he stopped, turning towards her halfway, catching her eye and keeping it. "I have not once forgotten what you are. I do not forget such important details." Then threw open the door and walked out into the sunshine.

She slowly followed him, bemused and lost in thought._ This man…_ she thought,_ is a strange one. I should definitely not underestimate him._ She grinned, looking forward to the challenge of working with this man, this Captain Kidd.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Burakkuson flinched as the bright sunlight hit her face. Then she grinned and spread her arms, spinning in a slow circle. She was FREE! "Baka, hurry it up! I don't want to have to look around every time I try to talk to you!" She ignored him, feeling the salty spray splash her face the wind caress her hair. She felt like flying! She felt a familiar tug on her weapons and braced herself as she literally went flying over to where a pissed off Kidd was standing. "Don't make me regret letting you out!" He growled at her. She just grinned. He was royally angry now. Just as he was about to unleash his anger, the lookout cried "LAND HO!" Her head snapped up, her expression positively gleeful. She nimbly made her way up the mast to the crow's nest to get a good look. Kidd just glared at her retreating figure as he issued orders for docking.

Once the ship had settled into its dock all crewmembers gathered on port side to disembark. All except one notable exception, who was still up in the crow's nest. Kidd was well aware of this fact, but for now he gave the rest of his crew departing orders "All right men," Kidd said, "This Island takes about two days for the log pose to set. Be on your best behavior," as he grinned maliciously, "and meet up at the Harbor Inn for sleeping arrangements." They all ambled off, kind of wanting to stay and see the show between their captain and Burakkuson, but knowing from Kidd's expression that it was best if they left. They wandered over to the local bar, waiting for the news while having a drink or ten.

Kidd sighed and turned to look up at his errant crew member. He strode over, grumbling about how if she was so excited to see land, why wasn't she the first one down there? He pulled himself up with a Repel, floating over the rails to land on the other side of the crow's nest. He contemplated the back of his Living Weapon, leaning up against the mast in the center of nest, eyes gazing regretfully at the island, arms crossed and one leg bent up to rest her foot on the mast. He leaned up against the side of the nest, waiting with his eyes closed, for her to say something. She spoke soon after he came up, knowing that he wouldn't leave until he got what he wanted and that he didn't have any patience. The sooner she said her thing the sooner he would leave her in peace.

"I can't go on land," she said bluntly staring out at the trees. "I don't want to attract undue attention. I have no desire to repeat my experiences with the Marines." Kidd watched her hair sway in the wind, waiting. She turned toward him abruptly, glaring at him and yelling, "Why don't you say anything? Why don't you say what you are thinking, that I am a coward and a baka! I should be able to take some measly marines, right? Well, I won't go! Nothing you say can make me get off this ship!" She whirled back around, hair flying and ragged clothes spinning around her body.

He spoke, slowly walking around the mast. "What makes you so afraid that you can't even step on land, even though I can see that you want to?" he stopped in front of her, arms crossed in front of his chest. She was not looking at him, looking down and the side, her face in shadow. He growled, "Look at me when I'm talking to you!" and grabbed her chin, forcing her face to look up at him. He started slightly, seeing an old pain in her eyes. Then he glared at her, willing her to answer him. "I won't let you go until you tell me what is bothering you!" she matched him glare for glare.

"I don't have to tell you anything! You're just a big brute who is determined to get your way, even if it means prying into my life! I told you, I won't tell you anymore than necessary, and this is most definitely nothing you need to know about!" she tried to pull away, but his grip was to strong and her buried emotions were not helping her to think clearly. She shook her head. She would _not_ cry! It had been so long since she had cried, she wasn't about to break down now. He spoke softly, anger laced in his voice. "Do not insult me, unless you wish to suffer the consequences." He reached out and brushed his hand along her neck, stopping briefly on the most recent scar on her neck. Her breath hitched, and she glared at his shoulder, refusing to give in to his taunts. He chuckled, the forced her face up higher, forcing her to look at him. His eyes were like ice, feral and cruel as he stared at her, determined to have his way. He was only curious as to why she was restraining herself from doing something she obviously wanted to do. She was the one making a big deal out of it. Besides, this island was boring. If she came along, things were bound to get interesting. And if by chance someone recognized her description that Killer was already subtly broadcasting, then maybe someone even more powerful would show up that he could fight. His grin stretched across his face, bloodlust surging through his body.

"Besides," he grinned, looking at her, "I don't take orders well. You telling me what to do is not going to go over well, and in the end, you will tell me what I want to know." She bared her teeth, growling at him._ Just who the heck does he think he is, telling me what to do and say? I have survived every form of torture there is. No matter what he does, I will not give in!_ Suddenly the pressure on her chin lessened, and he brought his other arm up to rest next her waist. She blinked, taken off guard by the lack of pain and interrogation. He smirked, knowing he had thrown her off guard and knowing how to take advantage of the situation. He pressed closer, his broad, muscular body overwhelming hers. She pressed up against the mast, her eyes wide with confusion. He smirked at her, then slowly leaned down, breathing into her ear, "Tell me, why won't you go on land?" she started shaking, totally out of her league in this situation. No one had ever gotten this close to her before! This was not what she had been expecting from the violent Kidd. She had expected a rack or some form of metal torture, not this… gentleness? She could still feel the undercurrent of raw, ruthless power that flowed through him, but it was tempered at this moment, going off in an entirely different direction than she was used to. She just stared at him, waiting for something more diabolical. He chuckled, making her shiver, and took his arm that had been holding her face and started to stroke her arm. She jumped, the unexpected contact that did not include pain startling her. It felt almost… nice. And that was strange coming from Kidd. Impossible, really. Her jump had been blocked by his other arm, effectively trapping her in between his arms and at his mercy. Of which he had none, but that wasn't really important at this moment, she thought, trying to make sense of the situation. But she couldn't think when he was touching her arm like that! She kept waiting for pain to come. He was too close, and he was touching her, whispering into her ear, she was a fish out of water with no idea how to get back in!

She spoke, hesitant, trying to get him to move away without giving away too much. "There is too much, of a chance, for revealing myself, on an island…" he grinned, never pausing in his pressing into her space, knowing she was close to telling him something important.

"What is so bad that you can't reveal yourself?"

She closed her eyes, trying to keep her sanity together while he was doing these strange, un-Kidd like things. She whispered, "If I am found… then they will come." She shook her head, glaring at him. He grinned, then the hand that wasn't stroking her arm came up slowly and started to trace her lips. She jumped, shocked and scared at this unexpected touch, her eyes frantically trying to find a way to escape. He locked onto her eyes with his, willing her to not move. She was shivering like a cornered animal, surprise at the unexpected leaking into her eyes. She stared at him, frozen. She spoke, her voice trembling. "They, will find you… and you will die. All of you will. And I do not," here she paused, holding out her hands slightly and looking at them, "want any more blood on my hands." She clenched her eyes shut and dropped, sliding out from between his arms and settling like a bird on the rails behind him. They paused, the wind ruffling their hair and swaying his cloak, leaves from the island blowing in between them. Both of their eyes were shadowed, his hands dropping slowly to his sides.

She sighed. She had revealed more than intended, but not all of it, not even close. Her face became wary. She would have to watch for that particular form of interrogation in the future. She turned slightly, eyeing the broad, cloak covered back of her captain. He was a lot sneakier than she gave him credit for…

Then he turned, throwing metal bands at her waist. She dropped, shocked, off the edge of the crow's nest._ What is WITH this guy? I can't predict anything he does!_ She stopped abruptly, knocking the wind out of her. She was brought back up slowly, glaring as much as an out of breath person can at the man holding his stomach, roaring with laughter. She had never heard him laugh so hard. He caught his breath, still holding his side. "You… should have seen your face… HAHAHA!" She glared at him with all her dignity, hanging in front of him with her arms and legs dangling.

She hissed at him, "What is WRONG with you?" he stopped laughing, chuckles still breaking out. He reached out, and she whizzed over, stopping under his arm. He clamped her to his side, jumping down from the nest. Then he turned with a twist of his cloak to stride off the ship and onto dry land. He looked down at the struggling creature in his hand with amusement and said, "I know you want to be here. Just stop struggling and thank me already." she just glared at him. As he laughed he tripped over a huge mound that had appeared on the path, loosening his grip on Burakkuson, enough for her to wriggle loose and run off. She ran to the edge of the path, looking back and laughing. "You should see your face!" she laughed evilly, glad she had gotten him back. "But since I am here…" she paused and grinned at him mischievously, "I will do things my own way! I'll be back tonight to meet you all at the Inn! and I keep my word!" She yelled over her shoulder, running at top speed into the forest. Kidd just stood there, anger making his vision tinged red. "HOW THE HELL DID SHE DO THAT!" the only response he got was a guffaw from deep in the forest. Through his gritting teeth he told the lurking Killer to go finish "arrangements" at the Inn; he had some unfinished business here to take care of. Killer nodded and set off, looking back to see Kidd stomp into the woods. Killer shook his head. "So impatient," he muttered.

The weather was good, a light breeze blowing gently through the stands of trees. Suddenly the leaves shook as a stronger breeze blew by. All that could be seen was a foot landing lightly on the sunlight dappled moss of a tree root before it blew away again, leaving an impression of health and long life upon any tree, plant, or patch of grass that was touched. The plants sang their welcome to their cousin, the tree that gave life to most of them. She smiled, whirling through the chuckling streams and stirring the pollen that floated in the strips of sunlight that made it through the canopy. As she rushed by the plants, her hair almost seemed to be going in slow motion, caressing the leaves and branches. She was entirely at peace here in this forest, helping strengthen it, and in a way, strengthening her own roots. She stepped gracefully at the edge of a glade, pausing as her hair rippled in the breeze. _I have lost him_, she thought, satisfied. _I WILL return, I just need time to, recharge I guess. Maybe he was right about coming on land,_ she thought wryly. _But he wouldn't understand why… and it's not like I can tell him._" She sighed. Then she swayed and danced her way over to the huge tree stump, whispering the names of the trees in greetings, "_Oak, Cedar, Aspen, Pine, Willow my old friend, Walnut, Apple, Sakura, how goes things in this forest?"_ She sat there listening to the whispers of the trees, sharing news about the soil, the sun, the animals and the humans. She listened, soothed by the familiar melody of tree whispers, talking about important things, not like humans who talk for no reason… she sighed happily, absently petting the little swallow on her shoulder with one gentle finger. She closed her eyes and smiled as she dug her toes into the wet earth next to the stream, feeling the sunlight warm her soul. She looked around with half closed eyes at the birds, deer, chipmunks, squirrels, and all the other woodland natives that had gathered around her. She admired the new twins of a first time deer mother, soothing any lingering pains they had while their proud father stood in the dappled shade of the trees. She nodded her head in greetings to him, a regal Prince in this forest. She spoke softly to the wise owls that had awakened to greet her properly, representing their kind, before returning to their sleep.

She laughed out loud at the antics the squirrels and chipmunks were engaged in, and nestled in against the side of the alpha male of the wolf pack who had traveled from their home cave to see who this strange smelling person was. She loved wolves, the way they traveled in packs, protecting their family against all threats, how intelligent and kind they were. She loved how they could be rough housing one second then the next second be all hackles and fang if something was threatening their family and their home. Out of all animals, she felt a strong connection to wolves due to her past involving one special wolf. Her eyes grew thoughtful, gingerly testing out this memory to see if it invoked the pain her memories usually did. As if reading her thoughts, the alpha male, who had introduced himself as Tsume, licked her face and rolled out from underneath her, making her yelp in surprise then laugh at the self satisfied expression on his wolfish face. She was laughing so hard she didn't notice his pack sit up and point their ears all in the same direction. As she caught her breathe, holding the stitch in her side, she saw Tsume and his pack form a loose circle around her, hackles up and fangs showing. The only noise was Tsume growling and the trees whispering loudly about an intruder following the path of light she had left behind. She sat up slowly. "There's no way…." She whispered. Tsume flicked his ears back acknowledging her voice but entirely focused on the entrance to the glade where she had come in. There in the shadows of the forest her eyes found a familiar silhouette. She gapped as she heard his voice say with a smirk, "There's no way what?"

Kidd had been storming through the forest, unable to vent his anger with his Devil Fruit power because he was in a freakin forest. Of all places for someone who controlled metal to be, he grumbled. He refused to acknowledge the fact that he was lost. He was just wandering around in a rage, looking for the perpetrator of his bad mood. Suddenly he paused and sniffed the air. There was something strange about this spot… he continued on, noticing now that while this whole forest seemed healthy, some places were practically glowing with health. The glow and the scent seemed to head in the same direction, albeit a strange, twisty direction, but since he didn't know where to go from here anyways, he decided to follow this mysterious trail.

After grumbling through a forest that seemed determined to hinder his progress at every turn, he saw a bright light filtering through the trees. The glow and scent seemed to lead straight to that hole in the trees, so he headed for it. After cursing the tree branches and stomping his way through, he stopped just short of the entrance to the open space in front of him. What he saw surprised even the solid Kidd. He blinked a couple times, making sure he was seeing things right and he hadn't been poisoned by some plant. Nope, still there. So he watched, fascinated, as the trees seemed to lean towards the girl sitting on the tree stump next to the creek. She smiled and laughed softly. It looked like she was talking back to the trees! Then he saw how the grass around her seemed to be reaching for her, the plants that were growing on the bank softly twining up her legs, her feet hidden in the mud and water of the creek. He watched as animals began to appear out of the trees, how she treated each one like an intimate friend, especially the wolves. He watched her play with the wolves, laughing out loud as one knocked her over. _Well,_ he thought, a slow smile stretching across his face,_ this is definitely interesting…"_ Suddenly the sense of watchfulness increased and he saw the pack turn as the wind shifted away from him. He stood calmly, confidently. He watched as she looked around, shock on her face as she seemed to listen to the trees. "There's no way…" he heard her whisper. He smirked and stepped out from the shadows. "There's no way what?" he asked.

She just sat in shock, surrounded by snarling canines and waving trees. "How did you find me?" she asked, finally, to break the silence. _That's the thing with humans,_ she thought grumpily_, they need to have silences filled with noise. They can't hear the music that is in the silence…_ she was interrupted from her musings by his voice. "It's almost dark. You wasted a lot of time on the ship. It's time to head back to the Inn to regroup and see what kind of island this is. If it's going to be boring," he muttered, "I _will_ kill someone…" she just sat in shock, watching his receding back. He stopped and yelled, "Hurry it up Baka! We don't have all day anymore!" and turned to her with an exasperated look. She slowly stood up, the action causing Tsume and his pack to stir and close ranks around her. She soothed them, explaining, "_This man is… the Alpha of my pack. He is strong and fierce, and looks out for his pack. He came to tell me that the rest are gathering at our sleeping place. It is ok, I am… I am fine to go with him, please don't worry."_ She smiled and patted each wolf, giving Tsume a hug, then ran lightly over to her captain. As she reached the edge of the glade, she turned and waved. The wolves were already melting into the shadows. She smiled. That was the other thing she liked about wolves. No long, tearful goodbyes. Her captain grunted his impatience and she turned back to him, the trees whispering their thoughts to her one last time as she walked back to the world of humans.

Captain and crew member walked together in silence. She waited for him to throw a barrage of questions and taunts at her. After all, he was a pirate. And so was she. So why was she in such a situation with earth? Besides, she had never mentioned her affinity with earth to him and he might see that as trying to conceal her powers from him. She just knew that he wouldn't understand that while she loved the sea, she was also tied to the earth. She glanced up at him through a curtain of hair, trying to analyze the look on his face. He didn't look angry or taunting. He looked like he was deep in thought. He still made her nervous after the episode on the ship. She wished she knew what he was thinking… She looked down and sighed. Couldn't he just get it over with?

He looked down at the quiet sigh that came from this strange creature walking next to him. He looked up to whack a branch away from his face. "That was you that made that hill I tripped on while walking on the road." She looked up in surprise that that was the first thing he said about the whole thing, and because she had forgotten all about that for the past while. He looked down to see her nod. He looked back up as he asked, "Is that the only thing you can do, manipulate dirt?" She glared at him, well aware he was trying to provoke her into showing him more. She sighed and reached up past his shoulder. He stood his ground, watching for tricks, until she motioned for him to turn and see. As he turned, he saw the branch he had just broken had grown new buds and was re growing the lost branch. He turned to her in time to see an expression of intense pain cross her face. She sighed and said, "Healing things is something I can only do occasionally, due to the amount of energy it takes out of me, as well as the pain. When I heal something, I take its pain onto myself, times 10. So healing that broken branch was like healing all ten of my fingers if they had been ripped off." She paused and shuddered. "Mostly I can just listen to the plants, trees especially. Animals like me and will come to talk and share news. Just my touch can encourage strong growth and health in plants and animals. I get along really well with wolves," she smiled. "I like how they work. We get along quite well.

"What about cats?" he asked slyly. "I didn't see any in the forest with you." She smirked slightly, looking ahead as she said, "that's because they didn't want you to see them. Cats are fierce and independent. They came to see me, to see who was invading the forest and who had such a strange smell. They are like shadows, coming and going in the blink of an eye." She smiled slightly at some sort of inside joke, he guessed. She continued, "Sometimes, rarely, I can manipulate my surroundings to my advantage, but that is not often. I have other talents that I use for manipulation," she finished grimly. He looked down, waiting for an explanation, before two things took away his attention. One was the edge of the forest and the sight of the road. The second was a huge explosion coming from the harbor. Kidd glared over at the huge smoke cloud forming, covering what was left of the sunset. "What the heck is going on over there…?" He started to walk faster as they broke out of the trees and he set foot on the dirt path. Burakkuson lingered, listening to the goodbyes of the trees before she ran out after her captain.

Kidd looked around sharply as they came into town. The edge farthest from the harbor was still fine, but the closer they got to the docks, the more pandemonium they found. There was fire everywhere, jumping from house to house. People were running and screaming, carrying the wounded and their valuables as they tried to escape to the forests. Not only did they run from fire, but from man as well. A group of men were pillaging the houses and killing anyone they found. If this had been his crews work, he wouldn't feel so off. But this didn't fit with the way they acted. Besides, he hadn't been there to start it, as was usual. As he rounded the corner to the docks, he was stopped short by the battle in front of his eyes. Every member of his crew was fighting to protect the ship from being burned like the town. He could see Killer slicing down everyone in his path, blades flashing in the firelight, while the rest of the crew were fighting off flames and the multiple torch bearers. His eyes narrowed as he zoned in on the leader of this whole mess. The leader turned as Kidd made his entrance with flames shooting up behind his crimson hair and his face a mask of fury, his hands shaped like claws. The leader smiled and yelled "Eustass "Captain" Kidd, Captain of the Kidd pirates! I have come to collect your 80 million berri bounty! And with it, I will add your crushed dream of becoming Pirate King to the pile of idiotic wannabes that I already have!" The man's face contorted as he laughed mockingly. Kidd face, just starting his characteristic grin, froze and formed into a mask of rage. He flexed his hands, the fire reflecting the killer intent in his eyes. As he took a step forward, he felt a slight tug on his cloak and saw a vaguely familiar shadow forming behind him. It flickered faster than he could see, appearing directly in front of him. He watched as it started to twist, spin, and whirl around him, becoming more substantial but still opaque. As he began to wonder if this was an enemy trick, he noticed a sharp wooden arrow lying on the ground next to him. As he bent to pick it up, he felt the shadow spin faster and faster. Looking up, he caught a glimpse of a literal rain of wooden arrows tipped with shining sharp stones. He watched as they were caught on the shadow and slowly fell to the ground, leaving him without a scratch. He watched as the deadly rain continued for about a minute before petering out. He looked over at the leader of the marauding group. He appeared to be a bounty hunter, not a pirate. As of right now, his face was clenched in annoyance because his initial plan of attack, one with sharp, non metal objects, had been turned aside as easily as a butterfly in the wind. Kidd saw out of the corner of his eye the shadow start to consolidate into a more recognizable form. He was not surprised to see it was Burakkuson, her entire body a black, shimmering, flickering silhouette. She stood in front of him, a proud figure, shadow hair rippling in an invisible wind. Her eyes were the only thing that looked solid on her, and they were bright red, redder than the fire surrounding them. They were so bright they were almost mesmerizing and in sharp contrast compared to her shifting shadow body. She glanced at him, then stepped aside, indicating that that threat had passed. He nodded at her then strode forward, past ready for a good bloody battle. His homicidal grin was unconsciously forming on his face and his fists clenched and unclenched as he drew the metal to his body. He and his opponent squared off, the opponent a little shaken that his main plan had totally, easily been annihilated. What was that thing that had formed a spinning shield in front of Kidd? It was hard to see in all the haze created by the fire. Suddenly Kidd laughed and shot his metal arm out, drawing his opponent into play.

Killer yelled, "Kidd! That man is a Devil Fruit user! He controls certain types of wind!" he finished as he was drawn into an intense battle with another swordsman. The man grimaced in annoyance before throwing back his cloak, revealing metal shurikens. He ran forward zig zagging towards Kidd. Kidd waited, his eyes snapping when he saw the crevices behind the bounty hunter. He dodged just as the man ran past, the wind slicing the ground where Kidd had just been standing. He hadn't been able to see the wind blades, but the tell tale marks in the ground and the sliced haze surrounding them let him know that something was coming. As he dodged, metal shuriken came flying out from the man's cloak, changing direction and speed rapidly according to the man's will. "Repel," said Kidd, almost lazily. The various metals lying around as well as the flying shuriken came whizzing over to form a metal fist. Kidd drew the metal over his entire body, effectively blocking the invisible razor wind that he could only sense coming at him in the wake of the man's initial attack. He breathed heavily inside his metal shell, the fire sucking oxygen from the atmosphere and his lungs. Suddenly he felt a pressure from above and looked up in time to roll to the side before a Wind Demon Shuriken landed in the spot he had just been standing in. He looked around just as another slight pressure formed on his left. Looking out of the corner of his eyes Kidd saw the man using the wind for an extra burst of speed. As Kidd parried the sharp blows from wind and metal, he began to see a pattern of attack. The man could use the wind to increase his speed dramatically, but it also gave away his presence just seconds before he attacked because of the change in air pressure. Kidd grinned and laughed. This opponent was the type of fighter who had to finish things at the beginning of a battle, or else quickly lose the advantage the longer the battle went on. Kidd stopped moving and closed his eyes, metal arms hanging in the air next to him. If he timed it just right, he could… his head snapped up and he threw out his arm to the left and up slightly. "Repel." The man appeared in midair, frozen, until he shot forward screaming only to stop abruptly as he landed on Kidd's drawn dagger in his right hand. Flames shot up around the victor and the dead man, Kidd not even looking at his opponent's body as it hung off his weapon. He was grinning his trademark maniac grin as the dead body slid off his dagger, already forgotten except to wipe his blade on. He grinned at the corpse. "No one mocks me and my dream and lives, fool." He sheathed his weapon and looked over his crew. Other than a few burns and scraps, they had fared well, as had the ship. He looked over at Killer, nodded in satisfaction at his Massacre Man's work, then turned to find his shadow. The Shadow Being in question was standing far back, watching him warily.

_That's twice today,_ she grumbled to herself._ That's twice that he has seen me use my powers. Gosh dang it, what was I thinking…_ still, she was aware that she needed to be cautious, enough to stay back until he had redone his assessment of her. He was just looking and looking… _I think I could get more reaction out of Killer right now,_ she thought wryly. When she blinked he was standing right in front of her, forcing her to lift her head and ripple-step back a little. She looked at him warily, not able to read his face or his mind. Then he walked past her. "We need to find where those insolent arrows originated and take care of their owners..." "Already done," she whispered. There was no visible mouth for sound to escape from, but her voice was the sound that shadows make in the night, an eerie note hanging in the air. Kidd paused without turning. "They are all dead." She repeated. She said heavily, "it was easy to track such overconfident archers and kill them without them even knowing I was there." She sighed, noting the effect her creepy shadow voice was having on the crew. If he would just say something, then she would know where she stood… He finally turned, a glint exaggerated by the raging fires around them in his eyes. "So for them, it was like being killed by a nightmare. Being unable to see what is making the people around you die… must be terrifying." She flinched slightly, narrowing her eyes. His face stretched into a malicious grin. He walked back past her briskly, briefly touching her insubstantial shoulder. "Good work on the clean up." Then he kept walking. She just stared at him, unable to understand how he could see this, this monstrous form and then act like it was just a day in the life. He paused as he climbed to scorched plank up to his ship to turn to her rippling shadow. "I'm sure it's an interesting talent, shadow working. You will have to tell me the details after we find a new port to settle in." Then he disappeared over the edge of the ship. The last thing she saw of him was his cloak flapping the heat waves created by the fire and his crimson, flame shaped hair, with Killer following close behind him. She stood rooted in the same spot for a few seconds with a thoughtful look on her face, lit by the flames still growing. With a slight smile forming she started forward toward the ship, slowly shedding the shadows that surrounded her until she reached the rail of the ship. She shook her entire body, then reached up her hand to thank the shadows for their help. They were happy to help out, they told her. After all, it was boring just doing the same thing over and over again. She smiled as they dripped and slithered back to their original positions. She stood and continued onto the ship, leaving behind suffocating ash and smoke lit by hellfire. The cinders and ashes whirled around her as she stepped slowly off of dry land back onto the ship with its strange captain.

They spent the next day in a different port on the other side of the island. The locals stayed in their homes and locked the doors, and the Kidd pirates spent their down time fixing the dings in the ship and drinking. Burakkuson spent the morning shopping for new clothes to replace her old rags. She sighed with relief as she put on her new outfit and carried out the extras to the ship. _It always feels good to wear something comfortable and familiar,_ she grinned. She wriggled and stretched in the sun, feeling the way the clothes settled around her like they were a part of her skin. Her grin widened. She had chosen black ninja-like pants that were tight on her calves and loose around her thighs. The pants allowed her to hide more throwing daggers and some shurikens. Her shirt was purplish black, with the left sleeve long and loose, covering her whole arm and hand. Her right sleeve was about 2 or 3 inches wide. The neckline was tall but loose enough for air to get in and out. She hated the feeling of things around her neck, but this was ok, since it was loose and necessary to cover her telltale birthmark and slave scars. The only skin showing was her right arm, with its band of throwing daggers and its extension knife disguised as a wrist guard. She had gotten new straps for her swords that were dark green and crossed over her chest. She had also gotten a headband; black, to cover the flower birthmark on her forehead. She couldn't do anything about the thorns on the side of her face. She would just do her best to keep her hair covering that side of her face. She walked out in the sunshine feeling much more prepared for whatever was going to be thrown at her.

Her clothes hadn't prepared her for this, though. She was currently being interrogated about her new found (to Kidd) powers of shadow working. "Is there anything else you haven't told me?" he said dangerously. "Yes" she said simply, "and as of right now I have no intention of telling you. But," she said hastily, seeing his patience snap and anger crackle in his eyes, "I can tell you that the only other talents I have lay in weapons fighting. Shadow Manipulation is my main talent, with Earth Sense being second. I trained for a long time with my weapons, so I have passable talent there. The only other power I have… is my memories. And I have no intention of telling you those," she finished firmly. She flinched, shying away from that thought. It hurt to remember. She knew she would have to eventually. After all, it was part of her dream, her goal, to remember everything that had happened and will happen. But for now, she would keep the memories at bay, and be content with the uneasy feelings that cropped up as well as the nightmares. She did remember that there was one memory that didn't pain her immediately… it had to do with her first friend, Alpha, the wolf from her past… but if she went any farther, the pain was so intense it took her breath away. She closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing normally and not letting her emotions color her face.

Kidd sat back and contemplated this strange creature in front of him. He didn't regret stealing her from the marines. She had a lot of potential and was a good ally. But she also had a long past, and he didn't know much, if any, of it. That could be dangerous. He slowly smiled. Dangerous was good. He stood up and motioned for her to follow him. She obeyed, curious to see what had made that expression of - excitement? - On his face. Killer followed quietly, already guessing what was going through his captain's mind. He sighed silently as they walked off the ship and into a cleared field a short distance from the ship. The rest of the crew could tell something was up, and slowly followed.

Suddenly Kidd stopped and turned to a confused Burakkuson. "Alright then. Let's see how good you are with those weapons," He grinned at her. He drew out his dagger and faced her off. As he settled into a fighting stance, he saw her face change. She was coolly evaluating him, watching and weighing the way he held himself. _This audda be interesting, _he grinned,_ I don't know how she handles her weapons. And I have seen her other considerable powers. But since when the danger levels ever stop me? And she is still recovering from her earlier Shadow Being form. _He grinned wider and waited for her to make the first move and to reveal her weapons style.

Killer was watching from the edge of the field, noticing how she had gone entirely still. She was standing straight up, perfectly balanced and weapons in easy reach. She was still as stone, looking at Kidd out of the corner of her eyes. Her face had become deathly serious. Even the wind had stopped. An expectant hush fell over the crew as they quickly made room for their captain and the unknown factor to fight.

Kidd blinked. She had disappeared? Suddenly he felt a cold presence behind him, and turned just as she floated behind him, coming from above to strike him. He was just in time to parry a cut from her dirks. Then he had to parry again and again as she unleashed a flood of strikes at his vital points. Suddenly she jumped back, crouching like a tiger waiting for the kill, with one leg extended and the other tucked under her body like a spring. Her eyes had lit up with a strange light, and the intent to kill had risen between the two fighters. He was grinning sadistically, and she was coldly serious. She slowly put her daggers back into their pouches. Then she stood and bowed her head, crossing her arms across her chest. As she did, Kidd noted the strange twist and flick she did with her arms. As she did, the three extension knives flashed out in the sun. She slowly lifted her head from between the crossed blades, then flew straight at Kidd. Her left arm has in parallel in front of her body in a defensive move while the right arm was slightly bent with the blade aimed straight at Kidd's heart. Just as he was about to strike at her, she jumped to quickly for eyes to see to the side and came up on his left. His cloak flew out as he parried this attack, barely getting his skin nicked in the process. She had changed blades in mid strike, retracting the three on top of her fist and bringing out the single one under her wrist. She jumped back and slowly brought the offending blade to her mouth, and licked off the drop of blood that hung there. Her blades withdrew and she sent out a blurred volley of shuriken followed by throwing daggers. He mostly avoided all the blades, nicking his cloak and skin in a few places. He was grinning like a maniac.

_Strange,_ Killer thought,_ that he isn't using his Devil Fruit on her. He could easily take care of the metal weapons with it. Perhaps… he really does want to test her weapon skills?_ Killer shrugged and continued watching the battle unfolding beneath him. He didn't want to say out loud that this battle was making him itch to fight her as well. He clenched his hands on his crossed arms in anticipation.

She stood straight, in almost the exact same place where this battle had begun. She was breathing slightly harder than when this had started, but Kidd was breathing heavier just from defending. _She's good,_ he thought with a grin_. It was very worth it to acquire her, even if this is the limit of her powers. And I am pretty sure… that this is only the tip of her talents._ He watched as she slowly drew out her swords, a glint in her eyes as she locked eyes with him. She slowly walked forward, her swords hanging loosely at her sides. Suddenly she spun, a whirlwind of black hair and silver blades, and he had to parry one sword with his dagger, dodging the other one. He could feel the air around her change as the familiar shadows around her seemed to vibrate and gather around her body. He knew this was different from previous attacks. His face grew serious as she began to shimmer with opaque shadows. Killer began to loosen his swords. The crew began to get edgy, feeling a different power in the air. She began to use complicated sword patterns, designed to overwhelm multiple enemies. In this case, just him. She was a whirlwind of calculated death and shadows, her swords flying out in combinations too quick for the eye to follow. She was one being with her swords, more so than with the other weapons. Kidd had to seriously focus on simply defending himself from her deadly rain of attacks, feeling her sword bite into his skin in some places. Suddenly he jumped back, and she tracked him with her cold eyes, waiting for his move. He grinned. "…REPEL!" suddenly all her weapons came flying out of her hands, and the ones attached to her were starting to drag her over to him. She struggled, letting loose weapons that were still attached. As she loosed the last one she back flipped a few times to gain distance. As she stood from her crouch atop an old tree stump, her face split into a predators grin. She threw out her left arm, her hand aimed straight at his sternum. Her eyes started to glow as the shadows that had seemed to gather around her started to swirl, lifting her hair and blowing it into a frenzied black mass that looked alive. She shuddered and Kidd tensed. She threw her head backed and laughed as the shadows condensed around her arm. Then Kidd jumped and twisted as something came flying out of her arm straight at him. He glanced down at the ruined field next to his hand. It had been pierced by several think vines of thorns. The thorns were as long as his fingers and deadly sharp. He glanced sharply up at her. The vines were growing out of her arm! She just grinned and drew them back in slowly holding her arm up as the vines crawled back into her skin. She looked… exhilarated, not tired like he was expecting. He stood and watched as the last of the vines wormed their way back into her skin. As the vines disappeared the shadows around her body seemed to fade as well, leaving her standing in sharp relief against the sky.

She looked at him, content. _I thank you,_ she said straight to his mind. _I needed that._ She smiled and floated down to the ground. She walked over to where the hole was and crouched down, examining it. She held her hand out over it, and it started to close! At first he was amazed, but then he noticed her shaking. As he came around to see her face, she was in what looked like extreme pain, eyes closed and face pinched. He continued to watch as the hole slowly closed. Once it was back to its original form, she sighed and tried to stand. She couldn't make it all the way and stumbled into Kidd's solid, muscular body. She hid her face and blushed slightly, for some reason remembering how he had bit her the other day. She tried to push off of him to walk with her own strength. But before she could get her feet under her, she was lifted up into the air and thrown over a very familiar, pokey, fuzzy shoulder. She tensed and opened her mouth to protest before she passed out.

Kidd strode over to the ship before pausing and jumping to the upper deck. He brushed past Killer, giving him a look. Killer nodded. Kidd continued until he reached his room, where he dumped her unconscious body. He then proceeded to securely attach metal bracelets to her wrists. They were part of some treasure they had looted, matching bracelets made of silver and wrought with delicate flowers. He smiled grimly. This would make sure that he could find her whenever he needed to, and if need be, at least have some measure of control on the strange powers that she had. He left her there, walking back on deck just as an unpredictable Grand Line storm blew in. He grinned as the wind whipped his cloak and hair back and the rain pelted his face. He roared out to his crew, "LASH DOWN THE DECK! AFTER THIS STORM PASSES, WE MOVE ONTO THE NEXT ISLAND!" _Definitely an interesting day_, he smirked. _Kinda makes me interested to see what happens after this!_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Burakkuson shot straight up out of the bed, gasping for air and sweating through her clothes. She was clutching at her chest where her key hung. After a minute she slowly loosened her death grip on the key, still not letting go, trying to get her breathing back to normal. She looked at her hands and noticed she was shaking. She closed her eyes and rubbed her head with her hand. She paused at the birthmark in the shape of a blackthorn flower in the center of her forehead. She sighed, then started as she heard movement in the corner. She looked around warily, not recognizing the room she was in. Then her eyes landed on the shadowy figure leaning against the wall in the corner opposite of where she was sitting. She relaxed slightly. "Where –

"Why don't you speak to me in my head all the time? Kidd asked. She grinned. "I was wondering when you would ask that…" She sighed." It's not one of my strengths. There were other living weapons designed with strong psychic abilities, and it was requested that those talents were not to be made a priority for me. I can only communicate like that rarely, and it's easier if I'm touching the person I'm talking to." He nodded, recognizing the limitations but also seeing advantages. He looked down at her hand, still clutching the key. "Why was it the first thing you grabbed when you woke up from your nightmare?" She looked at him sharply. So he had been watching the whole time? She looked away from him and said, "I told you, It is my greatest treasure. There is nothing in the world as precious to me as this key." She stopped abruptly, rubbing the key absently.

She dropped her hand, then got up. "Where am I?" she asked, looking around curiously. "We are still on the ship, I can feel the rocking…"

"This is my room." She froze. She slowly looked over at him, finally noticing as she did the unfamiliar weight on her wrists. She brought her arms up and closely examined the new additions. Anger started to smolder in her gut when she realized what they were for. "How dare you…" she said quietly, dangerously. "I agreed to work with you, not be a slave again. If you get in my way –"

"Those are for your safety and for the safety of my crew. That was a tremendous display of power, and I can tell you have much more where that came from. I will not risk losing the advantage I have in you and your power by letting you go out of control. You're lucky I didn't put this collar on you…" at this statement from him she leapt up and attempted to rip out his throat with her teeth before he caught her with his ability. He smirked as he felt her rage coming off of her in waves. "Once you prove to me you can control yourself, I will consider removing these." She just hissed and struggled against the metal on her hands. "You self centered egotistical maniac! How DARE you do this to me! You are so annoying deciding things on your own with that smirk on your face! I just want to rip it off! This is my body so - UGH!" She was suddenly slammed up against the wall behind Kidd, knocking the wind out of her. She got her breathe back just in time for his lips to slam into hers with bruising force. She was shocked into silence, unable to move or think. It was when she heard the horrible metal collar hit the floor and his hand come up to her waist that she began to have some vestige of coherent thought. She tried pulling and twisting away, but he only grabbed onto the back of her neck tighter, digging his black nails into her skin. He started to move his lips against hers, and her whole body started to tingle with a strange sensation. She completely forgot about using any powers; she was just confused and angry and trying to escape. She started to hit him as hard as she could, hard enough to leave a mark for sure, she thought frantically. He pulled back slightly and chuckled darkly before wrapping his hand that was on her side around her waist, pulling her into his body, then leaning down again and biting down hard on her lip. He silenced her cry of shock with his mouth, her blood trickling between their mouths. He kissed her harder in response to her protesting, clearly enjoying his dominating position, in complete control of the situation. Burakkuson was in turmoil right now. What he was doing hurt, it hurt her lip where he had bit her, and his nails were digging into her neck and her body was pulled so close to his she could feel bruises forming. But she could feel a strange tingling fire raging through her body at being touched by him. He pulled her so close she couldn't tell where she ended and he began. He was so tall and broad! She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed how tall he really was. His body easily covered hers, and in this moment his strength was more than hers. She could feel every contour of every one of his muscles in his bare chest, and she didn't know what to do. She was so confused… she winced as her head was yanked back, her hair being pulled hard by the hand that had been holding onto her neck. He brought his face back a tiny bit and grinned maliciously at her. "Speechless, eh? For once… were you about to say that this is your body? Well, it's not anymore. The day I let you free, you swore yourself to me, body and soul. I don't think this is what you meant…" he smirked at her completely shocked face, "but this is how we humans do it. I claimed you as part of my crew, and now I claim you as mine. Those marks," he brushed his hand over her healed neck and on her still bleeding lip, "will show the world that. You can't run away from me anymore…" He smirked as the full implications of this swept over her face. Thorns suddenly shot out of her arm, forcing him to jump back to avoid getting hit.

He slowly looked at her, still grinning, staring at the thorns stuck in the wall next to him She was just standing there, glaring at him, holding her hand up to her lips. The thorns retracted quickly and then she turned and ran out of the room. He grin grew larger as he licked her blood off his lips…_ Damn… that was the most fun I've had in awhile…_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

She shot out of the room like a bullet, narrowly missing Killer as he jumped to the side and pulled out his blades, already looking behind her to see what had caused such a powerful person to run like that. His hair was still ruffling from her breeze when he saw Kidd come out of his room smirking. Killer paused, sheathed his blades and reported, "The Log Pose has set. The ship is ready to leave." Kidd nodded and strode out on deck, arms crossed over his chest as he watched the crew scramble in final preparations for leaving. His eyes scanned the deck, watching to make sure things ran smoothly as well as looking for a certain crew member. _She better not run from me,_ he grinned._ That would take all the fun out of it. Confrontation is so much more fun…besides, she needs to own up to her responsibilities and take care of the wounds she inflicted on me._

Said crew member was up in the crow's nest, the farthest point from him she could possibly get. She was still very, very confused. Her lip still hadn't healed and now her whole body throbbed with new bruises._ How did I get so weak? Even the Hidden Sleep shouldn't have deteriorated my condition so much that a man can touch me and I get bruises, or even that he wounds me and I don't regenerate almost immediately. WHAT is WRONG with me?_ She clenched her hands to her forehead, slowly hitting herself, trying to beat out an answer.

Few hours later:

The night was still, a small steady breeze pushing the ship along its path. The water lapped at the sides of the ship, small waves forming and sliding off the polished sides. She heard a distant seagull cry out across the sea and breathed in the fresh, chill air. She was lying down, hands behind her head, looking at the sky above her head and the one reflected in the water. _The stars are so bright tonight,_ she thought. They were shining like white fireflies scattered across the sky, far too many to count. She smiled, closing her eyes, enjoying the stars and feeling the moonlight slide along her skin.

Suddenly the ship rocked and shuddered, throwing her against the sides of the crow's nest. She twisted and landed on her hands and feet, fully alert. She peeked over the edge, trying to see what was causing the commotion this late at night. Her eyes narrowed, taking in the scene unfolding on the deck. A large pirate ship had emerged from the sea and had pulled up next to the Kidd pirate's ship. The lookouts had sounded the alarm just before the enemy pirates invaded. They whooped and hollered, attacking the caught off guard Kidd Pirates. As they fought for their lives, Kidd strode out with Killer, a subsequent whirl of blood and death behind them both. She watched him stride out, seeing he was furious at having been taken by surprise, blood splashed on his face and chest. Suddenly he looked up and tensed, seeing the captain of the enemy crew approaching from the other ship. There was silence as the captains sized each other up. Suddenly Kidd yelled, "Alright old man, let's get this started!" and crouched down into a fighting position. The enemy captain chuckled. "So the rumors at your straight forwardness and lack of respect are true. My name is Sauto, captain of the Scar Pirates. I had heard rumors that you had possibly acquired a strange item worth quite a bit of money. I was hoping you would be willing to let me have this treasure." Kidd grinned. "And if I don't let you have it?" Sauto smiled grimly. "Then you leave me no choice but to destroy you and your crew and tear apart your ship in search of it." Kidd looked thoughtful. "Captain Sauto… I remember your wanted poster. You are worth 95 million berris right?" Kidd chuckled. "My lucky day… when I kill you my bounty is sure to go up!"

Captain Sauto grinned and motioned with his hand. Burakkuson gasped in anger as nets came flying out of the enemy ships portholes. That's cheating! She thought. But Kidd is fine with metal… but there is something off about them… she realized a second to late what was wrong with the nets, nets that not even Kidd could fend off. Even Killer had gotten caught, his hands and swords being the first to be wrapped up. Kidd was glaring at the enemy captain, slowing sinking to his knees as the power of the sea, the Seastone nets, sucked out his power and strength. "FIGHT ME FACE TO FACE!" he yelled. Captain Sauto laughed. "I don't have a death wish, young rookie. I would rather acquire this item without getting my hands dirty. Besides, the government likes to get pirates alive, so they can suffer for their sins in Impel Down, or maybe as slaves for the Celestial Dragons…."

At that statement Burakkuson went horribly still. _Slave? For those horrible disgusting scum of the earth?_ All thought of anonymity left her head. _I cannot let this happen when I can prevent it!_ Her body grew dark and shadowy, shimmering with darkness and starlight. Her eyes grew redder and redder, until they shone like ruby beacons against the darkness of her body. She lost control as memories from that time swamped her brain. _NEVER AGAIN!_

Kidd was starting to fade into unconsciousness. _Damn that man… Have to move…_ when he heard an unearthly, primitive scream coming from above his head. He struggled to look up, in time to see a black mass with shining eyes come hurtling down to land on her right hand and left knee in front of him, with her back to him. She turned her head slightly towards him. "I will help you protect your dream…" She hissed. "I will not let it die!" She roared a full throated challenge to the sky, then she turned toward her target, snarling through the newly appeared fangs that glinted in her mouth. She lunged toward the screaming men, ripping their bodies to pieces, limbs and blood flying in a delicate, gruesome pattern. She was a whirl of metal and shadow, her red eyes leaving a trail of death in their wake. She was beautiful and deadly, death incarnate. She was Death's Shadow, the name that struck fear and terror into the heart of the government's leaders.

Kidd stared on in grim satisfaction as one by one the enemy was demolished. He was still very weak from the Seastone net, lying on his side propped up on one elbow. He just needed to get out of this thing… Almost as if she read his mind, she abruptly turned her blood spattered face towards him and dashed over to destroy the net with one slash from her extended knives. She stood above him, watching him pant with an unreadable expression on her face. He gave her stare for stare, even in his weakened condition. Suddenly she whirled and crouched over him protectively, hovering over his body, one leg extended over his body and the other tucked under her body in front of him. Her hands were up with her long dagger held in front of her body while she hissed and snarled at the new threat. Suddenly nets were flying out of nowhere, coming in from all directions. She roared, and attacked the nets from her position of defending him. He only watched as she tore each net to pieces, not letting even the scraps touch his body. She was a tornado of steel weapons and glowing red eyes, whirling like the wind, aware of every threat before it even touched him.

Soon the barrage stopped, and she cocked her head, back in her crouched position of defending him. Suddenly she disappeared, only the wind that followed her telling him the direction she went. Then he heard the screams, abruptly cut off. He grinned wickedly at the sound, and then she appeared, watching him slowly sit up. She kept a watchful eye around them through the smoke and blood for anymore threats. As Kidd looked around, he rather thought that her caution wasn't necessary. Every person besides his own crew was dead, and the enemy ship was in pieces and sinking. Even he almost couldn't recognize the corpse of the former Captain Sauto. His crew slowly gathered around them, warily eyeing the shimmering shadow that had single handedly destroyed an entire ship and crew. She stood straight, aware of her monstrosity and the fear she was generating. Killer slowly got up and stood by Kidd, watching her. Kidd secretly admired her proud stance even when she felt so oppressed and at risk. She had saved them, but she was sure they would abandon her or betray her because she was so strange and dangerous. She started to harden what was left of her soul to prepare for the onslaught from these people she had almost begun to accept.

Suddenly Kidd started to laugh. "Well, that was quite a show. Next time, though," he said as he started to walk away, "remember to leave some for me." His crew shrugged and started to clean up the ship, muttering about crazy powerful people, but with rueful grins on their faces. Burakkuson just stood there, the center of all the blood and bodies, her flickering shadow body covered in blood that was a dull red compared to her eyes. She just couldn't take it in. There had been so few people to fully accept her in her full Shadow form, her Death Shadow form. And it had been so long since anyone had even trusted her a tiny bit… but these people acted like the carnage she had caused was just another day! She couldn't wrap her head around it.

Kidd yelled from the upper deck steering wheel, "BURAKKUSON! Get up here!" she just stood, rooted in place. He contemplated her still form, then grinned. _Time to try out…_ "Repel!" Her arms jerked, giving her a millisecond of warning before the rest of her body flew up into the air, her wrists colliding with Kidd's outstretched arm. He caught both her wrists in one hand, lifting her up to dangle just above the floor. She looked at him blankly, trying to come back from the dark place that her terrible memories had taken her. He looked at her blank face, coming back from its shadow form, seeing a deep pain swimming in her eyes. He could see that she was far away. He growled in impatience, and felt a small stirring of some strange feeling he didn't understand. He shoved such feelings away, and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I told you that you couldn't run away from me anymore. Not even into your own mind. I own you. I am _ordering _you to come back…" Suddenly she blinked and her eyes started to focus on his face. He could see the effort of will it took for her to come back from that place, from her shaking body to the struggle apparent in her naked eyes. Her whole body let out a huge shudder, her eyes pinched shut. When she opened them, she let out a huge sigh and looked up at him, eyes clear and aware. She suddenly was _very_ aware of the fact that Kidd was holding her up by her metal bound wrists, his face way to close to hers for comfort. She growled unconsciously and snapped at his face. He just twisted her further away and chuckled. "Good work," he said, and deposited her on the deck next to him. She stood slightly crouched and wary, waiting for a trick or something in him to change. He started to give orders, putting the ship back on course and back in order. She watched the crew scurry around, swabbing the deck and correcting their course. During the battle they had drifted a little, but even that little bit could put a huge time lag on their journey, or cause them to be lost at sea. She couldn't help but admire the quick and efficient way they handled everything, led by a competent captain who ruled with respect, loyalty, and more than a touch of fear.

She snuck a peek at said captain, watching his face spread into a look of vicious satisfaction as the last of the bodies were thrown off deck and their course was fully corrected. He swung around, leaving the tiller to the Devil Man and the crew to Killer. He crooked a finger at Burakkuson. "Come." He said. "We need to talk." She glared at him. "I have nothing to say to you!"

He paused, looking straight at her blood smeared face."I have every right to know what makes a crew member of mine freeze up like that! If the battle hadn't been done you would have risked yourself and the crew by doing that!" she growled at him, turning to escape up to the crow's nest again. He smirked. "Repel!" she flew backwards, landing on his shoulder, struggling and yelling the whole way into the hallway. He just grinned savagely. "Besides," he added, "You owe it to me to bandage the wounds you gave me from our battle." As soon as the door slammed shut, the crew slowed down, giving each other knowing looks. "While the sudden decrease in speed?" a calm Killer asked. Even though his voice was quiet, it carried, and with it went a shiver through the crew. They sped up again, all thinking their own thoughts on what was going on behind closed doors. _Captains gonna have his hands full…_


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Burakkuson struggled and protested the whole way down the hall into his room, where the door slammed open a split second before he reached it, then slammed shut of its own accord while he threw her onto the desk. She scrambled, reaching instinctively for her weapons that he had so thoughtfully relived her of. She glared at him, flustered and still reeling from her memories. He sat on the bed, regarding her swaying, wary figure thoughtfully.

"Why did you fight for me? I thought you were angry and ignoring me. I thought you would be sitting in your hiding place laughing at my predicament. Why did you help me?" she stiffened, insulted.

"Of course I helped you! I swore I would, didn't I? 

"Yes, but weren't you angry with me?" he said with a smirk. She sniffed and looked away. "I can't even think of a reason why I would be," she said with a small, self satisfied grin. He frowned, not liking her implication that there was nothing to remember. It stung his manly pride. He went back to the original question. "Why did you fight for me? Why did you risk exposure for my sake?" She grew still, staring off at the sunrise coming in through the small window. She was suddenly very tired. She just wanted to go lie down in her bed and sleep for three days. But she knew she would have no peace if she didn't give him what he wanted. "Well," she said quietly, "there is no risk of exposure from outside this ship, seeing as how all enemy witnesses are dead."

"That is true," he nodded, acceding to that fact. "But, don't evade my questions. Tell me why you fought for me!" he slammed his hands on the desk on either side of her hips. She glared at him. "I have no reason or need to tell you such things!" he just looked at her. "It is my business when you freeze up in battle like that. I have to know why you do it so I can get you to snap out of it, or be cured." She started and gazed up at him in shock. _Does he know what he is saying?... no, _she laughed softly_, of course he had no idea._ She looked at him, vestiges of that pain and sorrow he had seen earlier lurking in the back of her eyes.

"You can't cure me," she whispered. "No one can. Not even myself." The shadows were gathering around her body again, like a shield against his questions.

"No one can cure the effect that memories and past occurrences have on someone. What is affecting me is in my past. A past I cannot run from, cannot escape from. Nor do I need to. I need to remember everything that happened, and everything that will happen. That is _my_ dream, my goal. I wish to write a complete history, a true one. One that includes the past as well as the present. I want to write a book about adventures and sorrow, joy and pain, full of life and death." She clenched her hands, staring down at the imprints her nails made on her palms.

"I AM strong enough to deal with the pain, the remembering, the recording. I have to be…" she whispered, so tired. Kidd had moved away, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall across from her.

"How do you plan on keeping these memories alive? I don't see what you can write with, or how you can keep track of so many stories."

She reached into a pack that he hadn't really noticed that was resting on her belt, on her right side. "I keep my writing materials in here," she said, pulling out a medium sized book and a couple pens and pencils. She spoke, "I also have a large pack that holds all my notes that I can carry, as well as books and writing materials. That pack holds more than you think it might," she said wryly, a ghost of an old inside joke floating in her voice

"Where is the history stuff?" Kidd asked, flipping through the book. "This book is empty." He tossed it back to her. She grinned tiredly. "It is hidden in a safe place. Besides, I couldn't let you see it yet. You're not ready. No one is ready… yet," she said, unconsciously fingering the key that hung around her neck. This little gesture did not escape his notice, and she hastily put her hand down.

Kidd looked her straight in the eye, giving her a bad feeling… "What memories faze you so much that you can't even function normally?" he asked softly. "I need to know." Burakkuson's face hardened. "They are my burden to bear, and no one else's," she said harshly, sliding off the desk and walking towards the door.

_I can't rely on anyone,_ she thought._ I can't let anyone else be hurt the way I and the others have been. I need to finish what I started, and soon. I didn't tell him… that I need to record the history and the present before my memories cause me to lose myself in the darkness and possibly, go mad… if that happens, someone has to kill me, before I do even more damage that I already have. I have to hold on… at least until he becomes strong enough to kill me._


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

As she opened the door, it slammed shut, locking and barring itself with the metal laying around the room. She turned, exasperated. "Look, I won't tell you anymore than I have!" He just looked at her steadily from across the room. His stares were doing weird things to her insides. It didn't help that she was already exhausted from the mental and physical strain of her battles. "Just open the dang door and let me go to sleep! You never think about the feelings others do you?" she asked heatedly. "The crew is afraid of you, and every village you dock in ends up in shambles! If someone even thinks about insulting or laughing at your dream to become Pirate King you kill them and everyone in the vicinity! Don't you have any self control at all?" She stood there panting, glaring at the shadowy figure across the room, grimly satisfied she was able to get all she wanted to say out. She turned and started to pry off the metal on the door, grumbling about inconsiderate men who don't know anything.

She felt movement from across the room and twisted immediately, landing in a fighters crouch. She watched him warily as he walked over to her, slowly, his face still hidden in shadow. His hands had dropped to his sides, flexing, drawing her attention to the metal around the room. Nothing was moving… until she felt her wrists vibrate. She looked down at her arms with a very, very bad feeling. She struggled to get the metal off, pulling for all she was worth. He just kept coming, slowly and surely. She glared at him. "You pig headed jerk of a man! What the heck do you think you're doing?" She grimaced and shot vines out of her arm to pin him to the wall and get him to let her go. He dodged, faster than she could see, and was suddenly right in front of her. She backed up hastily, bumping into the wall behind her.

It was then that she could see his face, and at the look she saw, even Deaths Shadow's stomach lurched. Was it fear or anticipation? Or a little of both… she didn't get the chance to finish that absurd thought (since neither were acceptable when it came to this man) as he leaned in slowly, his body towering over her, his warmth and scent washing over her. She shivered, confused, as he leaned into her ever so slowly, watching her eyes until his head was next to hers, his mouth next to her ear. His voice dripped with anger as he whispered, "I have killed people for less than what you have said. However, you are too valuable to kill, so I will have to think of a different punishment." As he spoke, hypnotizing her with his words, she felt thin metal pieces from the door wrap around her ankles and a small one hovering close to her waist. "STOP!" she yelled, unable to handle the feeling of being restricted against her will. "I don't understand you, you crazy metal man! I HATE restraints, keep them away from me!" She glared at him, rage slamming into him like a solid wall, but he could see the old fear appearing in her eyes again.

He grinned, a malicious, self satisfied grin as she began to struggle harder and harder against the metal that he controlled. She opened her mouth to scream at him again, her eyes full of fury and a tinge of red. He swooped down, sealing her mouth with his own. She struggled, not wanting to repeat the experience of this again. This time she bit him as she got an arm free. She reached for the dagger on his chest, only to have her hand be intercepted by his. His hand, almost twice as big as hers, engulfed her fingers and intertwined them with his. Then he yanked her arm up and slammed it into the wall above her head. She gasped as the skin on her knuckles split, shocked at this new development and unprepared for the pain. He grinned against her mouth, very much enjoying controlling his strange, powerful, interesting, unpredictable crew mate. He slipped his tongue inside her mouth, forcing her to respond to him. She snarled soundlessly and bit his tongue, determined to escape. She didn't understand her feelings for him. She hated how controlling and rude he was. But he was all she had, and there was something about him that kept drawing her to him. She tasted his blood in her mouth with surprise. She didn't think she had bit him that hard. She felt him abruptly move back, his hand on his mouth. In his surprise he had loosened the metal around her ankles and the one next to her waist fell away entirely. She took initiative to wriggle away, almost making it before his grip on her left arm became vise like and he yanked her backwards, twisting her arm so she was still facing forward, her back flush up against his chest. She was strongly disliked this venerable position, and was doing every acrobatic stunt she could pull to escape. She felt his arm that wasn't breaking her arm snake around her waist, pulling her tighter to him, so close she couldn't breathe.

He rumbled into her ear, the anger in his voice giving her shivers, "You will pay for making me bleed!" and he sunk his teeth into her neck. She bit her lip, refusing to scream out and give him the satisfaction of hearing her pain. His hand was over her mouth anyways, blocking off any noise that did escape. His hands began to run over her body as he held her in place with his teeth. She couldn't move without making him bite down harder, pain shooting down her side. She couldn't think straight with all the emotions flooding her body. His hands pulled at her clothes, trailing fire over her skin. She had never felt this kind of thing before. There were so many conflicting messages going through her that all she could do was let them go. She didn't understand how his hands could be so rough yet gentle and his mouth so unforgiving and exhilarating. He was such a conflicting person! No one had ever dared touch her like this, being afraid of her; what she could do, and what would happen to those who got to close. She didn't know what to do! His hands reached her left arm, and ripped off her sleeve. She moved, protesting under his hand. He only clenched his teeth and held onto her harder as he held her arm out by the metal wrist guard with his power. He started to trace the vines as they went around her arm. He was too close! She could feel every part of him through her thin shirt material, and the way his arm was stretched out over hers made her feel… almost… protected? Like she could melt into his arms and she wouldn't hurt him. She watched his hand trace every thorn, every part of the vine, starting at her palm, moving up to her shoulder. She shivered as his palm moved to her shoulder blade, then over her neck to her collar bone, where his hand spanned her entire neck. She was straining with her arm, not liking how it stuck out, venerable and out of place. He chuckled against her hair. She started, just now really noticing that he had taken his teeth out of her neck. He started to lick her wound, making her jump and squeak in surprise. She felt his dark lips grinning against her neck. His ministrations became rougher, his tongue dragging across the bleeding marks. She whimpered, a strange feeling she couldn't get rid of in the pit of her stomach that contrasted and yet complemented the pain in her neck.

He realized before she did when her struggles became less marked, and he could sense her fascination with what he was doing to her arm. He could definitely tell she didn't like this position of weakness, where she could see him at all. She also didn't like her arm being held out against her will. He twisted the arm behind her back viciously, making her gasp, before taking that arm and slamming it against the wall. He brought her other arm back and clamped it to her side with his arm. She struggled, unable to get her mind together for a proper counter attack. He grinned. This is what he had been counting on; that she would be so overwhelmed and surprised and confused that he would be able to be in complete control. He particularly enjoyed her attempts at struggling, being the sadistic man he was. She was definitely keeping him on his toes! He had really enjoyed the way her skin felt against his rough hands, the way if felt like fire was coming out of her skin to meet his, and the way the thorns on her arm had been a little cooler and smoother than the rest of her skin. So he called on his power to hold her arm up on the wall (he really liked that he had put metal on her wrists. That had been a good call) and let his free hand wander up and down her body. She shivered wherever he touched, jerking and twisting trying to get away. Especially when he came close to her chest or lower stomach… he smirked and brought his hand up her side, caressing the side of her breasts, just above her bra line. She moved so quick he almost lost his grip on her waist, twisting her spine in ways he didn't know a spine could bend. She started growling, turning towards him with a snarl on her lips and revenge in her eyes. He swiftly turned her around and threw her on his shoulder, a decision reached. He strode a few steps to his bed and threw her against the head board, stunning her for a second. He let his cloak fall to the floor and stared at her. She looked so flustered and angry… he licked the blood still on his lips and grinned in anticipation, his face full of power and his body dominating the room.

Burakkuson couldn't help but look at his body and his angled, savagely attractive face. He was dangerously beautiful, full of power and grace. She knew that. It didn't necessarily mean anything. Every time she looked at him, she was somehow reminded of the powerful, deadly tigers that even she had but rarely encountered. But she couldn't seem to think straight around him, and he was drawing rings of fire around her body. It didn't feel bad like the other times she had been held in metal restraints. He was enjoying himself immensely, much to her annoyance, but a small part of her thought it felt good too. But the bed… was another matter entirely.

She didn't stay stunned as long as he thought she would. She disappeared, reappearing just as her fist started flying towards the only window in the room. He threw out his hand and softly called, "Repel." She jerked to a stop, her arms slowly pulling her back. She snarled, twisting like a… like a cat, he thought. He flicked his hand, and she flew back to the headboard. This time, he didn't stand and admire his handiwork. As he strode around the bed he flicked his hands again and both her arms went up above her head. She was starting to look panicked, using her legs as the lethal weapons they were to deter him from getting closer. He summoned two thick ankle bracelets, effectively sealing them against her skin. She screamed in rage, not wanting any more of his abhorrent metal on her skin. She already felt a lack of control, she didn't need any more. She lunged at him, only to be met with his hand roughly pulling her face up to his, crushing her protest under his hot lips. She gasped at the passion she felt from him, different from the curious lust of earlier. He promptly took full control of her mouth, teasing her tongue with his. She refused to respond even though her legs were shaking. He growled and bit her lip until she winced. He pulled back, still griping her chin. She looked up at him defiantly, refusing to give in to his actions. He smirked, looking her over, stroking her long, wild, curly hair. She pulled her head back and struck like a cobra, biting his ear until he bit hers, making her gasp and him chuckle as their blood dripped down each of their lips.

It was taking all of her willpower to not ogle at his body and stare into his golden, feral eyes. She wanted to stroke his hair so, _so_ badly and run her fingers through it, to touch his face and feel his chest under her hands. But she had her pride, and in the small, logical part of her brain, she was convincing herself it was just the situation she was in that was making her think this way. That as soon as she escaped she wouldn't feel like this anymore. Her willpower was slowly chipping away however, and when his cloak fell away from his body she felt her eyes nearly pop out of her head. But she wasn't his toy. She was her own person, and would not make it easy for him. Even if he was the most beautiful human she had ever seen.

He felt her grudgingly admire his physique, and in return, he blatantly appreciated hers, even mostly clothed as it was. He had kept on the sleeve and most of her shirt, just ripping the left sleeve. He ran his hands over her flat, smooth stomach, letting one trail all the way up between her breasts, at which she growled and snapped at him, almost pulling out of her ankle restraints. His hand caught the back of her neck and forced her head up, catching her snarling mouth with his, as his other hand roamed down her back and over her well muscled rear. She jerked away from his hand only to bump into his body. She froze at her mistake, and he had to catch his breath at the desire that swept through his body. He slowly looked at her, letting her see what she had done. His hand came back up, roughly going up her side before grabbing her waist. She squirmed, trying to bite him, but he was in control of her mouth, and she could only squirm as he squeezed her, hard. To his extreme satisfaction, she let out small whimper that she abruptly cut off with a growl. He chuckled against her skin, his hand tracing dark fire down her abdomen. His hand spread across her stomach, a small part of him marveling at the strength he could feel surging just beneath her skin. He almost couldn't believe he had found such a creature as her.

His palm was hot against the taunt skin of her abdomen. She didn't know she could feel like this. She was drowning in dark fire and anger, confused and strange, trying but unable to move, and somehow unwilling to give up where she was. She was a big mass of conflictions, with one side starting to chip at the other. She felt his eyes rake over her, and was glad of what clothes she had on. She stared back at him, not willing to give in. He grinned at her before swooping down to her neck to leave small bite and kiss marks. She had been expecting him to try and kiss her, so she was unprepared for this move. She tried to throw herself against the headboard to shake him loose. He only came with her, pushing her back up against its hard surface. She winced and her head leaned forward, her dark shining hair rippling across his exposed back. She felt him freeze, and she tried to slip out of her restraints again.

He could feel her hair on his back, and it was like nothing he had ever felt before. It was like silken strands of darkness lighting his back on fire, trailing across his whole back and down his side. His eyes widened as he felt her struggling, her hair moving like hot liquid metal against his skin. He snapped up and stared at her panting, angry face, before burying his face into her sweet smelling hair.

She froze, totally still, unsure as to what he was doing. She glanced down at him, shocked at what she saw. His eyes were closed, and slowly opened till they were open halfway. She saw how they were full of passion and, with her quick guess as to this emotion that was so strange on his face, wonder, looking into her blue/black eyes. At this distance he could easily see the purple flecks in her eyes and the green tint to her black hair. She was totally shocked. He was just sitting there, her body pressed up against his, her hair falling over his back and his face buried in her hair. She felt the heat between like a living thing, the tension rising from him the longer he stayed there, eyes closed, smelling her hair and gripping her possessively. He brought his face up to her ear and growled, "You can't escape, not now that I have tasted you. You are mine, forever. You belong to me and no one else." Before she could vehemently protest that she belonged to no one, excuse me and thank you very much, she was a free individual with a plan, he claimed her lips with his and her body with his hands. The fire he was spreading to her was unstoppable, like a magma flow under a sleeping volcano, raging like a forest fire through endless forests.

He slowly pulled back, putting his hand on the side of her face. She was panting slightly, glaring up at him, but he only smirked as he stared at her flustered face. "What are you looking at, you-" she started to say, but he put his thumb on her lips and his hand on her lower abdomen. She went silent, staring up at him warily. He grinned, then released his power's hold on her wrists and ankles. She looked at him, then jumped up and booked it for the door. She was stopped at the edge of the bed. She bounced back and flipped over his head, trying for the other side. No go. She turned and glared at him. He just sat there grinning like a tiger after its eaten its fill. "You can move freely on the bed," he smirked, "but you cannot leave. I have created an electromagnetic field specially attuned to your… accessories." At this she snarled and leaped at him, intending to scratch his infuriating eyes out. He caught her wrists and wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling in her arms, and the other encircled the back of her neck. He smirked at her angry face, her body trying to leap out of his arms. He blinked slowly, his grin still on his face. "I know that both of us," he smirked, in his provoking, self satisfied way, "have a lot to do tomorrow, so some sleep would be welcome, at least for me. You are welcome to pout and glare at me from any corner in the bed of your choosing." She snarled, not even deigning to answer him with words. "However," He added, sitting up to face her full on, "You do need to bandage these wounds," he said, gesturing to the scratches and nicks on his body. She just looked at him, thinking that if those scratches needed bandaging both of them would be covered in bandages for the rest of their lives due to their choice of professions. She looked at him skeptically. He grinned and stretched his body to its full length, muscles defined and joints popping. She couldn't _believe _how good he looked. The way his muscles rippled and his hair rumpled, she just couldn't help but stare. Until he caught her. Then she pretended ignorance, staring off into the distance while keeping him in the corner of her eyes. He settled down with a sigh, then promptly fell asleep, sprawled across the bed.

She sat stiffly, as far from him as she could get. She thought he was faking, since he had told her to bandage his wounds. But after a couple hours even the stoic living weapon had to start to relax. She hadn't seen him move, and his breathing was even. She had not stopped watching him since he fell asleep. This was something she couldn't do during the day. She looked out the window at the stars, looking back to see how the moon lit up his pale face and accented his crimson red hair. She was tired from all the excitement of the day, but she couldn't exactly sleep in the lion's den. But he looked so… serene, sleeping in the moonlight. It was so quiet she thought she could hear the stars twinkling as he breathed. She could see traces of the viciousness that pervaded his face during the day in the shadows the moonlight left. _Well,_ she thought,_ that is just how he is. He is a vicious brute who cares only for his goals. But maybe…just maybe possibly, there is another side. It may be small, hidden and thrust away from the surface, but maybe it's still there. If nothing else, he has a past, and I want to hear about it, see what made him what he is._ Then she snorted softly. _Listen to me. Going on about one humans past… there is so much else to do…_ but she couldn't resist reaching her hand out, slowly and carefully, to brush an errant lock of fire flamed hair from his pale forehead. She meant to pull her hand back, she really did. But for a cruel, crazy pirate, he had such thick, beautiful hair. She slowly leaned closer, scooting on her rear to get a better reach. She tentatively brushed back some more of his hair, before slowly stroking it. It was so smooth, but not unnaturally so. It was soft and alive under her hands, springing back every time she threaded her fingers through it. She let her hand twine through his hair absently, staring out into space. Then she looked down at the angled face beneath her hands. _I will protect this man and his dream,_ she decided._ Not only because I owe him, but because… I want to see where he goes, how far he gets and what it takes. Besides, if I stick with him, I am bound to get interesting stories, from him and others._ She smiled softly, and ever so lightly, traced the side of his face with her fingertip. When she realized what she was doing she hastily brought her hand back like it had caught on fire. She shook her head at her folly, then yawned. And yawned again. Her eyes were so heavy… she had been tired earlier, but now it was like sleep was imbedding itself into her very being. She slowly sank down, unable to control her body anymore as she fell into a deep sleep, one hand curled up under her cheek, the other still twined lightly in Kidd's hair.

The night was still, the ocean calm as the ship floated on moonlight and ink. Only one pair of eyes were wide awake. Dark gold eyes glinted with amusement at the body curled up next to him, her hand still wrapped in his hair. He smirked, admiring his bite marks that marked her as his. He pulled her into his chest, throwing his arm around her waist casually, putting his arm over hers and twining her fingers in his, both so he could feel her next to him and know the second she woke up and tried to escape. He stroked her silky hair, amazed at the color and texture of it. He grinned, eyes closed, falling into the light sleep that could fool even his first mate. He would never let her live it down that she had played with his hair while he was supposed to be asleep. He chuckled softly at the thought of her reaction. He was content with what he had won… for now.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Burakkuson slowly opened her midnight colored eyes, blinking slowly as she saw dawn starting to tinge the sky with pinks and yellows. She sighed, stretching her body and trying to conserve warmth, not wanting to get up so early. Suddenly her stretching body hit something hard. She froze as last night's memories slammed into her, with her still groggy from deep sleep. It was then that she noticed the large source of warmth behind her, as well as the pale, muscular arm that was on top of her arm and twined up with her hand. She turned an amazing shade of red to rival HIS hair, and then slowly turned her head. When she was facing the ceiling, she turned a little more and saw him propped up on an elbow, smirking that infuriating smirk at her. She glared as best she could with sleep still in her eyes. She felt every part of his body against hers; she could feel how tall he was, feel the undercurrent of strength that always ran through his body. He was broad shouldered with a smaller but still broad waist. In her mind she thought it was to allow for such power as his to reside in one body. She was struck at how he seemed to naturally dominate those around him, even her. She shook her head, silently beating her slow head, trying to wake up faster.

He grinned and leaned down quickly, biting her ear, just barely not hard enough to draw blood. She gave a small gasp and tried to struggle her still tired body away. He just chuckled and pulled her closer, turning her around so she faced him. She struggled tiredly before collapsing against his chest. She just didn't have the energy right now to fight him. Besides, she thought absently, his rock hard chest was everything she thought it would be, and she loved the feel of it under her hands and under her cheek. He had so many scars… she drifted off, curled up against his broad chest. He grinned, tugging her in closer and digging his hand roughly through her soft hair. She protested softly, too tired to even wake up properly. He just chuckled, watching the sun light up her face. He touched the marks and bruises on her body softly, grinning at each one. If just touching her was this good, he couldn't wait for the rest… he grinned a predatory grin, his hand tightening in her hair. Yes, he had definitely done well by taking this living weapon. She was powerful, both physically and mentally, and she was entertaining for him both physically and mentally. There was never a dull moment with her around. And, because of her presence, he might encounter stronger enemies to beat and raise his bounty. He chuckled darkly and she stirred, trying to avoid the harsh sound in her hazy dreams.

Next thing he knew, his eyes were snapping open and he sat up abruptly, trying to remember when he had fallen asleep again. He felt to his left, then swore and threw the blanket into the air. His gold eyes glinted as they took in the empty space next to him. His hand felt the warmth where her body had been. His pale face creased into a frown at his lack of awareness. He hadn't even notice her leaving. Then he grinned, his arm braced and bent on his tucked up knee, his face staring out from the shadows under his arm. _So in the end, she got away. Bravo, little shadow. This makes it that much more interesting._

She grinned, leaning against the wall outside of his bedroom door. She listened to him swear as he realized she had gotten away. She pushed off the wall, swaggering up the steps with a smirk on her face. _Take that, control freak extraordinaire! In the end, I escaped. What will you do now? _She swaggered all the way up the stairs until she got to the door that led out onto the upper deck. She paused, and pulled it open very slowly. She slithered out, trying to be small and inconspicuous. She muttered as she slid through the shadows, "Don't mind me, I'm just passing through, don't mind me…"

Killer watched, leaning from the crow's nest, as a rumpled, shirt torn Burakkuson tried to sneak furtively from the captain's quarters. He sighed, knowing that if she was sneaking, they hadn't really done it. He didn't really care what they did, he just didn't want Kidd more angry than normal. He went back to scanning the horizon. A few minutes later, he was slightly surprised to sense her coming up to the crow's nest. They hadn't had much to do with each other, just the occasional short conversation, and later Evil Eyes due to his involvement in a particularly delicate situation involving her weak moment. And Killer didn't mind it that way. It was an understatement to say he wasn't really a chatty, people person. But he respected her abilities, and was actually itching for a chance to fight her one on one. Just a weapons fight, but he could tell even that would be a challenge, after seeing her in action. She leapt over the edge of the nest gracefully, landing softly next to him. She rose to her feet, nodded and smiled slightly at him, then leaned over the edge, eyes on the sunrise. He heard her chomping on something, and as he turned to see what she was doing, she tossed an apple and a large glazed bun with chopped roasted peanuts on top over to him. He caught them out of the air, weighing them in his hands and then looking at her. The whole time she just looked out to sea, chomping on her apple and eating her bun. He looked down at the food, unsure of what to say.

"I noticed that you don't eat a lot, especially when you're on graveyard shift," she said, breaking the silence with an easy, companionable voice, "so I thought, since this is my favorite place on the whole ship especially in the mornings or at night, I would keep you company and bring you a snack, even if you do where a mask and can't eat in front of me. I don't like to eat much when I first wake up, but this stuff is delicious." She muttered and chomped away, leaning on the rail, looking out to the ocean. He looked at her, nodded, and turned his head. She heard his mask come off, but knew better than to look. She was content to hear him chomp and chew quietly. She could tell he was an interesting man with a very interesting story. He didn't speak a lot, but what she had heard was intelligent, sometimes sarcastic, and loyal to his captain. She had had a bone to pick with him concerning his tattle telling, but she wasn't one to hang onto such little grudges for too long. Too much effort. Effort that could be spent elsewhere. That was her motto. She hummed a little quiet tune, eating and watching the sunset. She had started to day dream before realizing that Killer was back to his watch position. He looked at her and nodded.

"Thanks," he said. "I don't really think about eating much" she nodded sharply multiple times, as if having a suspicion confirmed. She said, "Anytime," with a sincere smile stretching from ear to ear. He was kind of surprised at how she normal she acted around him. Most of the crew tended to avoid him. He never minded that, and probably never would. But he did have to admit, it was nice having someone around to be on watch with, even if neither of you spoke the whole time. Just her presence in the early morning hours, salt spraying off the bow of the ship as it shot forward through the sea, was enough.

After it was well into morning, Kidd finally emerged, looking as fierce and put together as ever. Burakkuson knew the second he came out, and couldn't help but watch him. Killer looked where she did, nodded slightly, and continued his lookout. After a minute she too pulled her eyes away and looked out, away from the ship and into the ocean.

Kidd looked up with his customary glare, knowing where her favorite hiding place was. He saw her leaning over the edge, completely at ease, in the presence of… Killer. Kidd tensed slightly, then shook it off. He was not in the least bit jealous of their apparent camaraderie. He trusted Killer with his life, and she owed him hers, so there was nothing to worry about. Still, he couldn't help but feel a slight burst of jealousy as he watched their silhouettes, one standing and one leaning, completely at ease in each other's presence. He grumbled that she was never like that around him, conveniently forgetting that his personality made that kind of thing nearly impossible.

Burakkuson couldn't keep her eyes off of him. The way he stood there in the rising sun; brash, ruthless, beautiful, sadistic man that he was; she couldn't help but feel a sort of magnetic pull around him. He had a powerful personality, and if she wasn't careful, she could get dragged up in it, never to be free again. She knew if she gave in to him, she would no longer be her own person. He would dominate her, and her pride would not allow that. She shook her head, trying to clear such muddy thoughts from her mind. She took a deep breath of salty air to calm her nerves. She suddenly froze, her eyes still closed, her face in a mask of fear and desperation. Killer looked at her, noticing her sudden, abrupt stillness and the change in the air around her. He grabbed her arm, looking at her, knowing something was wrong. Her eyes snapped open, staring at him in fear and something else he couldn't identify… and she leaped over the side of the crow's nest, already a shadow being. At this moment she had on the form of a huge wolf, almost as tall as Kidd himself, snarling and whirling, shadows dancing agitatedly.

Kidd looked at her, at this creature made of black fire and animal instinct. He started to grin. Anything that sent her running sounded interesting to him! She had landed firmly in front of him, and when he tried to move, she pushed him back, a plea in her gleaming red eyes. She swung around, facing north, a growl rumbling from her chest, turning into a snarl, an almost human scream. She roared her anger and desperation to the skies, trying to turn the tides and avert the disaster she could smell on the wind. But more than physical senses, she could feel the danger coming, a relentless fire burning across ocean, determined to swallow her up and anyone with her. That was why she was afraid. Her opponents were too powerful for Kidd, Killer and their crew right now. She couldn't let them suffer because of her; she couldn't let their burgeoning power be destroyed by ancient anger. She was almost frantic, head whipping from side to side, eyes closed, trying to think clearly. _Come ON!_ She snarled at herself._ Pull yourself TOGETHER! This is not the time to panic… I can save him… there is a way I just have to think it!_

Kidd was watching her, utterly still and serious. If she was panicking like this, to the point where even he could see she couldn't see straight, something was terribly wrong. He wanted to rise in the ranks, get a high bounty and be seen as the threat that he was, as the future Pirate King he knew he was going to be. Total annihilation was never a good option, and he knew that tangling with say, an Admiral or a Shichibukai (Warlord of the Sea) was not a good way to encourage progress. Or life. He was strong, but he had no desire to tangle with the highest ranking Marines or the Ex Pirates who gave their freedom to the government in exchange for being allowed to do almost whatever they wanted. They were powerful, none of them having a previous bounty lower than 100,000. They had many legends in their ranks. Kidd cocked his head slightly, staring out above the gigantic wolfs back, through the shimmering shadows that kept pressing him back, towards the dubious safety of the interior of the ship. He growled, pushing back. She swung around to him, her face full of painful decisions and past horrors. He gave her stare for stare. He could see the turmoil in her mind. He hardened his eyes, the air around him changing.

"I will not back down or hid like a coward," he said to her softly, his eyes never leaving hers. She shook her head, trying to deny his words. She couldn't even speak, so far gone in her animal shape and instinctual fear. He grabbed her ruff, forcing her to look at him, forcing her down to his crouch, making her unable to look away. He glared at her. "I will NOT run. I will not hide. I will face what powers that be. There are some things you can run from, and some things you cannot. You should know that better than anyone." She started, trying to wiggle away, her eyes trying to read the sea behind her. He gripped harder, causing her to wince slightly and whimper in pain and raw fear, fear of what could happen if she didn't do something. If she could only think… he held onto her, staring at her. "I will not die." Those simple words shocked her to her core. How could he not die in the face of this threat? How could he not feel death grinning over his shoulder? She looked up at him, then blinked and looked at him harder. She could almost believe him, that he wouldn't die, with that look on his face. He was looking at her, wearing deaths very own grin on his face, his eyes tinged red. Maybe, just maybe, he was right. Maybe if he wore the grin of death than death itself would not be able to touch him. She stared at him, wanting to believe him, this human who had taken her in despite all the warnings and danger.

He stood, eyes locked on hers, bringing her up slowly. She had crouched level with him, and was now unable to take her eyes away from his. His grip loosened, and he stared out at sea, where he had started to feel an ominous threat looming. She turned, his hand on her back, her body slightly angled an in front of his, trying to locate the precise location and timing of the threat. She would not let him die!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

They didn't have to wait much longer. The crew stood stiffly, knowing that something was coming. The wind was blowing through the sails, making soft moaning sounds. Suddenly the wind stopped. All sound ceased, and the pressure reached near unbearable levels. Suddenly a ship was sighted on the horizon. As Kidd looked through the telescope, his insides seemed to freeze. The ship was a Marine ship, nothing particularly worrisome. It was the man on the prow of the ship, a man with a huge ax and large body. It was the ship of Sentoumaru, Captain of the Marine's Science Unit and Dr. Vegapunk's bodyguard. When he announced it coolly to the ship, Burakkuson howled in rage. She spoke in Kidd's mind, snarling, _You have heard the rumors of Dr. Vegapunk, the man whose mind is said to be 500 years ahead of the time. Well,_ she snarled, _his cruelty is timeless and merciless as well. He cares nothing for life; he just looks at lives as experiments and dreams as inconsequential distractions. _Her physical mouth was snarling and her wolf Shadow Body bristling, her shadow fur swaying in a nonexistent wind. _This man coming on the ship is his right hand man, not to be taken lightly in the least._ Kidd looked down at her, snarling back, "I have been keeping up on world events, like any captain with a tiny bit of common sense would." As he spoke, the delivery bird chose this inopportune moment to deliver his goods. Kidd reached up and grabbed at the dropping papers, muscles rippling even doing a small movement. Burakkuson started to get a strange ache in her stomach. She growled, willing her nerves away. She would not let him die.

He had the indecency to look ruthlessly pleased as he found his wanted poster. He grinned, looking at the brand new 100,000 berri bounty. He tossed the rest to Killer, grinning at him. Killers bounty had gone from 30,000 to 60,000. Killer just nodded. Kidd always thought that Killer got the short end of the stick, being first mate, because his bounty was always lower than his captains. His crew murmured approval at their captain and first mates new status. Burakkuson growled, anger smoldering as Kidd was distracted by such a thing. He turned to her, an evil grin on his face. "Well," he said, "the government has begun to recognize me as a true threat. I think I can handle whatever this Sentoumaru throws at us." Burakkuson froze, horror stealing through her blood red eyes. She roared at Kidd, her fear and anger making her forget herself. She leaped on him, all fang and red eyes, throwing him down. _NO!_ She yelled while she roared. _YOU ARE NOT READY TO TAKE HIM ON YET BAKA! I WON'T LET YOU DIE POINTLESSLY!_ Kidd glared at her, red hot rage consuming him. "REPEL!" she flew off him, the metal bands still attached to her current forelegs. The blow knocked her wolf form out and made her shadows waver. She shook her head, back in the Humanoid Shadow form. He stalked over to her, rage a palpable force around him. He picked her up with one hand, slamming her against the wall. It started to cave under the pressure as she dangled from his hands. Her fear and grief had incapacitated her, making her nearly unable to resist. She struggled weakly at his strength, not willing to lose him but unable to think of a freaking plan! Black despair was creeping up over her as memories began to overwhelm her and future predications crowded her thoughts. She couldn't let it happen again…

She was brought back by a vicious mouth on her own, throwing the blackness back as red slid down between two mouths. She tried to cry out, but he was merciless. She clung to the sanity that the pain he gave brought her. He drew back, staring at her with rage in his eyes. "I will prove it to you! I will not die, I will not allow my dream, or you, to be taken from me!" she stared at him, seeing deaths own grin on his face and rage in his eyes. She could almost believe him. If it wasn't for that fact that she had dealt with people like Vegapunk and his men her whole life, she might have believed him. She closed her eyes, refusing to allow the visions to consume her.

The marine ship behind them was catching up quickly due to slaves manning several rows of oars and a favorable wind. Kidd dropped her, turning to give orders for turning the ship in a favorable position for battle. Burakkuson slowly floated down to her knees, hand on her throat. She could feel the scars from her previous enslavement. She knew she could get away safely, if she left the crew and evaded the enemy ship. But that would mean abandoning them to the interrogation methods of the Marines, and especially to pirates those methods were far from cruel. They were merciless and evil. She couldn't leave them to that fate, even if it meant she had to give up her freedom and treasures. She slid her hand down to her necklace key, clutching it hard enough to break the skin. She watched Kidd, strong, immovable Kidd, give orders with a maniac grin on his face, anticipating the battle. She closed her eyes, sorrow beating at her insides. She knew, better than anyone else, that these men were not ready for this confrontation yet. There was one thing she could do…

Before she could decide, Kidd's ship rammed into the marine ship, tangling them together. Kidd and his crew roared as they leaped onto the ship, dealing death to all that stood in their way. Killer was a whirl, blood spattering around him in a soft rain as he sliced his foes to pieces with his spinning blades and inhuman agility. Kidd tore through the ship and its inhabitants like paper, picking up every piece of metal he could get his ability on. His metal hands smashed and crushed the ship. Zombie man burnt every scrap of wood and paper while his captain tore the metal apart and Killer tore the people apart. Burakkuson just knelt on their ship, eyes wide, taking in the mayhem. Fire lit everything with an eerie glow, lending to the hellish atmosphere as people roared and screamed. Suddenly something blocked her view, and she slowly looked up at the huge ax wielding man in front of her. Her face split into a snarl, fangs elongating and claws sharpening. She kept the shadows at bay, a small hope existing that he was simply testing if this was actually her. He looked at her, crouched and ready, with disdain. "Are you the abomination, Living Weapon Burakkuson, rumored to be on the Kidd Pirates ship?" she started. They had killed anyone who had seen her powers, so there was no way they could actually know where she was. She had thought it was dumb luck for them to find her but… unless… she looked sharply at her captain, busy on the enemy ship. He didn't…

She glanced back at the formidable man in front of her.

"…" She just stared at him, then disappeared. He flicked his eyes to the right, just as she appeared there with her dirks out and pointing to his vital points. He pulled out his huge axe just in time, blocking her deadly rain of steel. She spun, hair flying, to come from the back. She held just one dagger in both hands, high above her head, ready to deal the death blow from above. He disappeared. She looked around, feeling him come from behind. She landed and flipped backwards, just missing his axe, floating above it as it flew under her. She landed on the blade, one hand and one knee on the surface, staring at him intently. He gave her stare for stare, putting his hand out."Ashigara Dokkoi!" she jumped, just missing extreme force of the open palm attack. The tail wind caught at her leg and spun her around, forcing her to hit the side of the ship with her back. The force caused her to black out momentarily, body flung over the edge, eyes and mouth wide as she tried to breath. She righted herself, breathing hard, and crouched into a fighter's position again.

He assessed her condition coolly. "You are not fully recovered from your hibernation and possibly battles you participated in later, maybe even battles that happened before your hibernation." Her face was hard, betraying nothing. She would not give him what he wanted, information to use against her and her crew. She stopped, slightly shocked her herself. When did they become _her_ crew? She was drawn back into the battle, trading harsh blows with the axe wielding sumo man.

Kidd was panting, smiling. There had been some tough members on that crew, but it was nothing to them. He grinned, not seeing the big man from before. He looked around, fully confident he could take him on. He froze as his eyes swept the wreckage of the Marine ship and the clean up his crew was completing. Something was very, very wrong… his eyes widened and he turned to his ship in time to see the big man trade smashing blows with Burakkuson. She was evading him with her weapons and wit, fighting smart. But why wasn't she using the shadows or the thorns. He frowned. She must be still trying to hide… maybe the big man was not sure of her identity. But then why had they been tracked down and attacked? It must have been the rumors that Kidd had had Killer spread on that island. He clenched his. The fetid Government had only heard rumors about her and had come to check it out. But to send such a powerful man to do it… they must have been pretty dang sure it was her. Kidd stood, his arms crossed, watching the battle unfold between the sumo man and his Shadow Being. Killer stood close by, on the alert, ready to jump into battle in case she needed support.

She was panting, her back shooting spikes of pain over her body. She winced as a particularly bad one went through before dodging a nearly invisible open palm blow followed by a shimmer of steel, burying itself in the deck where she had been, nearly splitting the ship. She stopped her roll, one hand down and one knee braced against the deck. She couldn't let herself heal, that would be a dead giveaway. But if she didn't, this wound would distract her and might get her killed. She grimaced, zig zagging to the big man, taking out her extension knives and shuriken. She threw them, then followed his escape path and appeared in front of him, taking him by surprise. She landed a couple blows, ripping at him before jumping off his back and landing lightly behind him. She turned to assess her handiwork just as an open palm blow landed square on top of her. She flew back, digging her extension knives into the deck to stop her headlong process. Her feet landed on the bottom of the upper deck, and she looked up, glaring, just as she used her momentum to push off and pull out her swords at the same time. She smiled grimly. She had left some telling marks on him, the blood oozing down his body. She flew past him, sheathing and unsheathing her blades in an ancient sword technique. He stumbled, two lines crossing his chest traced in blood. She turned her head slightly, her face colder than a winter wind blowing ice, dark and deadly. "Leave this ship now, and I won't kill you," she said calmly, her words falling like icicles into the ears of those who could hear. The man looked at her, then disappeared. She looked around, knowing things weren't done yet. Suddenly she fell to her knees, gripping her head and screaming. Sentoumaru watched, then spoke into his Den Den mushi, "This is the one. The rumor was correct, recon was a success. Retrieving experiment." He signed off, continuing to observe her reaction. Her screams had increased in intensity, her ears and mouth bleeding. Kidd's eyes widened, his face frozen. Killer's muscles bunched, and both leaped over the debris, standing in front of the writhing, screaming Burakkuson. Kidd looked back at her; Killer crouched down, looking ahead at the enemy. Both knew that something had happened, and that this man in front of them was the most powerful foe that had ever encountered. They stood side by side, the fire illuminating the deadly scene, accented by their crew mate's screams playing over and over behind them. Kidd jerked his head at Zombie man, and the man jumped over, touching his hand to the writhing girls head and wrist. As the doctor, he should be able to do something, but even with his expertise he couldn't discern what was doing this to her. All he knew was that she was in extreme pain. He looked up at Kidd, shaking his head, his eyes scrunched in distress. Kidd tsked, gritting his teeth, before devoting his entire attention to the foe in front of him. rage smoldered in Kidd's eyes, metal flying towards both arms, making him into a literal weapon of mass destruction. Killer tensed beside him, getting ready to jump.

Suddenly Sentoumaru spoke. "You can't figure out what's wrong with it, can you? You won't be able to. It is beyond your mental capacity to understand. I give you credit for putting up with it, but you let yourselves be deceived by it. Seeing as how I have no personal grudge against you, I will not destroy you right now. If you leave now, you will be able to live for a little longer." Kidd snarled and Killer leaped, both heading straight for the enemy in front of them, not bothering to answer the man. Sentoumaru sighed, then settled his weight and threw his open palm technique at them. They both spun away, working in tandem to take down this opponent, their fallen nakama's screams motivating them to destroy this man.

A little while later, both Kidd and Killer were breathing heavily, as was Sentoumaru. All had scratches and wounds, but the two Kidd Pirates were definitely worse off, having lost a lot of blood. One of Kidd's arms was useless, and Killer was limping from a deep wound in his leg. By this point, Burakkuson had worn out her voice screaming, and the blood vessels in her eyes had popped. The only noise she could make was a gurgling sound, and she would twitch occasionally, her face a mask of pain. Kidd was furious, and had lost all rational thought. Killer kept trying to bring him back, but the noises from Burakkuson were getting to him as well. Suddenly both were lifted up in the air, thrown into the sea. Kidd threw out one arm, catching the side of his ship in his metal hand, and Killer looped his swords around the rails. They were both shaking from rage and exhaustion. Sentoumaru appeared above them, his face passive. "You have both fought exceptionally well. In a fair battle, you might beat me. But I don't have time for a fair battle. The Doctor wants his experiment back, and I must return it as soon as I can." Kidd huffed, "what do you mean, return?" Sentoumaru let a small smile appear on his face. "That Living Weapon has been the property of the World Government almost since its creation. Where do you think most of its scars came from? Scars around the neck, wrists and ankles like those only come from slavery. It is an abomination; its very existence is a sin. And it taints everyone it touches. As such, you and your crew will be annihilated, due to the face that you know too much about something the Government has decreed doesn't exist." Kidd's face molded into a look of desperation and anger, trying to move his body. As Sentoumaru brought up his axe to deal the final blow, the big man was suddenly wrapped up in thousands of thorns and vines. They wrapped around his entire body tightly, then pulled viciously. Kidd and Killer watched as his skin was torn off, blood raining down on them. His entire body was hidden by the thorns. They looked over to where the vines originated, and saw Burakkuson propped up on an elbow, her other arm out with thorns and vines shooting out of it, her headband long gone. Her shirt was torn to reveal most of the birthmark, trailing from her face to her shoulder and arm. Her face was full of venomous rage, and her body shook with the effort to maintain this power. She pulled herself up slowly, painfully to her feet, swaying and whimpering silently through a ravaged throat. She looked at Kidd and Killer, then just at Kidd. There was a look on her face that he refused to acknowledge. "NO!" he yelled, struggling to get back on his ship. She would not sacrifice herself! He would not let her leave! "You belong to ME! You cannot leave the crew unless I say you can! You must obey me!" she suddenly smiled, a pained, happy smile. _Thank you, for everything,_ she whispered, even her mind voice horse and quiet._ You have given me more than I can say; a home, a life, a reason to live… and a reason to die. I have never had a reason to die… I will leave now, and give you time to escape. Please, listen to me on this. I cannot bear the thought of you dying, or any of you…no more dying… everyone and everything around me dies…_ she closed her eyes, leaning on a barrel next to her.

Suddenly her vines expanded, shrunk, then exploded around the form of Sentoumaru. Kidd and Killer had to shield their eyes from the rain of thorns, seeing the blood dripping from the man, his face in shadows. He turned slowly toward Burakkuson, his face a mask. "You have confirmed the rumor and our suspicion that you are in fact the Living Weapon Burakkuson. You are weak enough, apparent by your lack of power in your power, to be taken immediately" He grinned suddenly. "Our collection of your kind can continue." Burakkuson froze, her face a mask of abject fear, grief, and shock. "Yes," he said, smiling, "We have collected your "sisters". Not all, but one or two… they will be happy to see you, I'm sure." She roared a soundless, crazed roar that everyone within 50 miles could feel in their bones. Her eyes lost all sanity as she flew towards the man who had taken people precious to her. Suddenly he raised his axe above Kidd's and Killers heads. She froze, her face torn between two different peoples, two different lives, bloody and grief stricken. She slowly came to a stop, her eyes closed. She nodded once; eyes squeezed shut and her face full of distaste, fear and hopeless rage. She opened her blood shot eyes straight at Kidd, who was furious that she was doing this. Her sad eyes begged him to understand. Sentoumaru spoke, "The experiment has requested that in return for its cooperation, we let you, Captain Kidd, and your crew go. These conditions will be accepted, any punishment doled out will be assumed by it." at these words, Kidd suddenly he fell into the ocean as his metal arm was sliced in half. His eyes widened in surprise, sinking below the surface. He saw Killer swim towards him, ripping off the heavy cloak and bringing him back to the surface. Kidd coughed as he surfaced, cursing his Anchor drawbacks. He normally didn't mind the trade, power for not being able to swim, but right now... His eyes locked on Burakkuson, who was currently being led onto a small ship in chains. She searched for him, her bloody, half blind eyes frantic. When she caught his gaze, she let a small smile on her face of bloody tears, before turning forward, her face becoming blank and lifeless, already far away and gone. Kidd roared his anger to the skies, unable to do anything, cursing his weakness, both as a physically and as a Devil Fruit user, as he faded in and out of consciousness. The last thing he saw was Burakkuson's bloody, proud back, walking back into hell just to save him, him and his crew.

He was dreaming, memories flickering as insubstantial as shadows. He remembered the moonlight glowing on her sleeping face, her hair falling over his arm like an inky black waterfall flecked with green sparkling fish. The sun shining on her smiling face as she leaped to the bow, laughing and spinning in the sparkling sunlight and the way the stars seemed to fall into her midnight colored eyes. He remembered her fierce fighting, the shadows that clung to her and changed her into something else, yet herself. The way she stood in front of him, protecting _him_. The way she spun and flew, her face full of fierce joy as she fought and practiced, the way she looked in the glade, dappled sunlight falling into her hair and making her eyes glitter, a wild thing, unpredictable as the wind. The way she looked when she bit him back, the self satisfied look on her face. The way her skin felt under his rough fingers, and her eyes that held so much pain and sorrow, as well as joy and happiness. Her birthmarks that only enhanced her uniqueness, and the thorns that flew out at the last second to save him, sealing her fate in the hands of the Marines.

He clenched his eyes shut tighter, leaning up and putting his face in his hands. He had lied, had broken his promise to her. He had lost her. He sat for a moment in the shadows, before bringing his face up slowly. His face had hardened into something different; a mask of rage and determination, harder than his usual face. He stood up quickly, his crew standing a short distance away. He didn't even look, knowing he was there, as he addressed Killer, "Let's go." Killer melted from the shadows, nodding as he leapt over the rail to the steering. He stood there as Kidd yelled out orders, the crew determined as their captain to get their nakama back. Killer looked at his clenched hands, and let them dig into his palms. He would get her back, the strange new addition to their crew.

Besides, he thought, glancing up at this changed Kidd, he knew if no one else could, Kidd would get her back. That strange light in his eyes left no doubt in Killers mind that they would get her back, no matter the obstacles.

Kidd had realized just how much he didn't know, how much more he had left to go. His journey was long, and it was only going to get longer. He would always be reckless and single minded, but now he saw his inabilities for what they were, and he was determined to overcome them, to become stronger, to achieve his dream. But first, he scowled, they would get her back. Then they could move on.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Kidd's eyes had hardened since the incident a few days ago. He felt cold inside. He didn't have his usual violent, fiery tendencies. He just stared out at the ocean, occasionally snapping orders. He stood with his arms crossed on the top deck next to where Killer steered. He occasionally moved to steer himself, but other than that, he was still as stone. Killer didn't bother him, knowing that he was working out some harsh truths.

Kidd stared out, his face hard as stone, arms crossed, shadows etching deeply into the angles of his face. He had failed. Failed his crew, his nakama, and himself. He had thought that he was powerful enough to take on any opponent, and had swaggered around in utter confidence, even having rumors spread about his newly acquired Living Weapon. His hands clenched on his arms and he grimaced. That simple act, trying to get stronger enemies to come his way, had endangered everything, his dream and the lives of his crew, and had taken away one of his nakama. His fingers dug into his skin, glaring out at sea. Why wasn't he strong enough? Why hadn't he been able to beat that man? He closed his eyes against the sharp emotions that came with the last memory he had of the battle, of him not being strong enough to prevent … her from being taken away, from her thinking that she had to sacrifice herself to save _him._ He tensed, then without opening his eyes, slammed his fist on the wall next to him. it disintegrated, flying into the wind, leaving him standing with one arm out, one down at his side, and his head bowed and in shadow. The wind blew through his hair, his cloak. The crew stopped, looking up at him. Killer looked at him, knowing the struggle his captain was going through. It was a blow, realizing how much farther they had to go. They were not nearly as strong as they thought, and not even close enough to be able to pass through the Grand Line. Something had to change…

Suddenly Mohawk called out, sighting something in the water far ahead. Kidd's head snapped up, as well as Killers. "What is it?" Kidd demanded, his low, gruff voice rumbling through the air. The crew sighed, knowing that Kidd had come back, at least a little. They hadn't heard him speak normally in the three days since they had limped away from the wreckage of the battle.

They had stopped at the nearest island. It was named Purple Dragon, run by old pirates and mafia men. It was chock full of pirates and bounty hunters, those with eyes hungry for more, with greed and power. It left a sour taste in even Kidd's mouth, but it was all they had. So they docked, and Devil Man went to work, calling out orders to the rest of the crew. He was the best shipwright they had found on the rebel shipwright island, where shipwrights and engineers with less than credible backgrounds went. There was a lot of talent on that island, but there was a lot of bad blood and bad pasts there as well. Devil Man was the best of the best there, and had agreed to come with Kidd, seeing a man whose strength he could follow. Right now, D.M was working faster than ever before, trying to patch up the mess of their ship. There had been so much damage, it was lucky they had made it to this island still intact.

Kidd spent the time prowling the ship, destroying the town and staring out at sea. Killer shadowed him, both feeling the same way. Neither was much help when it came to fixing the ship. Their fortes lay in killing and leading. Both were anxious to get moving. Every hour they sat their nakama was going through unimaginable things, for their sakes. It was something that neither of them would allow.

The second she had walked into the ship, the door behind her had closed and the room had lit up in flames. She closed her bloody eyes, knowing that this was only the beginning. They had somehow found records of her previous enslavement and experimentation. She grimaced. _We thought we had destroyed everything…_ she flinched away from that thought and the growing flames._ Surely I would have felt one of them being captured? We did separate, knowing it would be smarter than sticking together. But we have always had a small connection, knowing that the others are alive at least. Wouldn't I know if someone was captured?_ She sucked in the hot air, suddenly afraid. If she thought she could feel the others being captured, would they feel her? She started to tremble. _No… no no no no! _she shook her head violently, trying to erase that thought. If they thought she was captured, they would come get her. She didn't want to risk them because of her stupidity! Imagine, them finding out she had let herself get caught to protect some _humans._ They would be furious that she had risked all of their centuries of life and their task just for one human especially. She sighed, resigned. Maybe they would understand. But they would beat the crap out of her first.

Besides, this new science man was a genius, and had perhaps devised some more effective method of capturing and retaining her kind. She snarled, losing strength in the raging fire. She sank to one knee, her arms bound from the shoulders down behind her back, several chains and cuffs pulling her arms back for no movement and not a little pain. Her legs were bound similar, but looser to allow for walking. There were cuffs on her ankles, knees, elbows and wrists. She was unable to move but forward, backward and sideways. She slowly dodged the flame that was licking up her arm, leaving a trail of blistered skin in its wake. She grimaced, glancing around them room. She would not let her sisters try to rescue her. They all had a dream; as long as least one was free it could continue. She refused to let them suffer as she did. But Kidd… She closed her eyes, hope slowly dying like a flower in waterless desert, slowly wilting and withering. She had done everything she could to ensure that he could not follow. She would not let him die before he achieved his dream. She sighed, picturing his face as she had boarded this hell ship. He had looked betrayed and furious. She hardened what was left of her soul, knowing what was coming, and knowing that from this moment on, she could say nothing. She was now property, not an individual. Everything she hated she had walked back to on her own._ At least he is safe…_ she sighed to herself, a sad ghost of a smile appearing on her face, flames licking up her body. Her face hardened as she remembered. _I have always walked alone… I think of my home, my memories of long ago. No one, not even my sisters, know that I lost my soul long ago. I have killed too much, lied and been left alone. I have been through enough. I am tired. But every time I close my eyes I see the ones I left… mother, father, sisters, nakama… Kidd. I need to forget them all, but I can't. I can't forget my home and those I left behind. I ran from it all, only to end up back at the beginning. Who am I? What am I? I am lost…_

Soon the small shipped shuddered to a stop. When Sentoumaru walked into the lower holds, he looked in at the experiment being transferred. She stood in the center of the fire, head high and proud, eyes blind with blood and body blistering in the heat. He contemplated her, deciding that she was subdued enough for transport. He pressed the key pad by the Firestone enhanced door, turning off the fire and the traps by the door. He walked in, sweating immediately from the residual heat. He motioned two underlings forward with more chains. They worked quickly, her skin peeling and bleeding from the fire and the quick movements of chains being added. By the time they were done, she could move only at a turtles pace. The chains didn't look like much, but were reinforced with the heavy metal that dulled the powers of the Living Weapons. She walked out, she could still smell, and the stench that hit her nostrils was disgusting; full of fear, pain and blood, as well as chemicals and pollution, burning and death. She shuddered, a part of her already dead as she contemplated her future. She was pulled forward, movements slow, whips applied liberally to any part of her showing, coated with tar and fire. She slowly fell, lying on the ground motionless in pain. She wondered hazily if she was falling asleep, or waking up and this was all a dream. She was suddenly brought from the brink of blissful unconsciousness by the most evil, disgusting voice she had ever heard. She turned towards it blindly, growling softly. She was rewarded by a kick in the face, and the sounds she could hear slowly evolved into words.

"Sentoumaru, is this the Living Weapon experiment we have been reading on?"

"Yes Doctor. Every preliminary test has pointed to the conclusion that this is Living Weapon #1, Burakkuson/Blackthorn, the Cursed Tree and Death's Shadow. "

Burakkuson lay at the feet of the smartest man in the world, who had turned his genius to wrongness and evil. If this was a dream, she wished briefly she could wake up from it. She twitched. But she had to harden herself against such thoughts. She was living a nightmare, and it was never going to change. She would not die; she would survive, no matter how long it took. She had waited before… suddenly she was thrown into a cell, a cold, dark cell made of ice. She shook, knowing it was hopeless but trying to stay warm. She would not die. But she could suffer, and they would make sure she did.

A few days later: She lay on the icy floor, her fevered dreams passing through her life, everything she had lost. It was all too much. She roared, animal instincts keeping her alive at the price of her sanity. She had been put through all the Impel Down tortures, living through them, and was now a medical experiment. The Doctor was pumping strange, fiery liquids through her body, gassing her chamber with noxious fumes that were deadly even to the Poison-Poison man who was in charge of Impel Down. She was a wraith after only three days. Her eyes were bright red, from blood as well as being half transformed. They were not letting her transform just yet. That would be later. The whole time, she was observed, all clothes and weapons removed from her body. She was a naked lab rat, blood running down her body constantly, strange liquids and sweat dripping down her protruding bones and her ragged hair. Very few would be able to recognize her now. Only her eyes, sunk into her face, showed life. Her ragged breathing hitched, and she roared again, throwing herself against the walls. She hit the spikes imbedded there and stumbled back, blind and weak. In her few coherent moments, she wondered if she would ever be able to use her sight properly again. At this moment she was stumbling around her cell, stopping in the center. She was holding her shoulder where a poisoned spike was imbedded, her legs shaking and spread for balance, left arm hanging uselessly. They had preformed most of their experiments on her left arm, where the birthmark was.

The worst was the mental experimentation. She would be strapped to a stone chair, wires and tubes all over her body, intertwined with the chains and restraints. The wounds on her neck, arms and legs had reopened, destroying the old scars and not leaving enough time for healing the new wounds. She would pass out daily from loss of blood, where they would then pump her full of tainted human blood. She was always coughing it up, her body unable to handle it. She would sit, straining against the straps, as they shot electrical impulses and voices into her head. All of her childhood fears would resurface, all the memories and wounds that would not heal even after centuries. She could feel HIS presence lingering in the fresh wounds that would not heal. She shook, refusing to break down. There was just too much that time could not erase. Her pain was too real, it was too much to try and erase. She had tried though. She could feverishly recall him saying he would heal her. She laughed, a horrible, cackling sound, knowing it was impossible, especially now. She told herself he was gone, she would never see him again. It was better that way, anyway. Yet he was still with her as she screamed and writhed in pain. She could almost feel him; see his angry, golden eyes. But she knew she was alone, all alone, in a vortex of never ending pain.

Her body suddenly arched up, her eyes white shot with red. She screamed, piercing through glass and metal. But she was still caged, the wild animal she had become was not her, and yet it was. She could not take it anymore. The beast she had escaped and locked up inside was being released, her rage a tangible form. She screamed, a wordless plea for someone to help her through this nightmare, with this darker side of her. She writhed. She could not escape this hell. So what if they could see her dark side? Nothing could change the course she was on now. She could not tame the animal she had become.

Kidd stood on the prow of his ship, one foot up on the rail to stabilize his body. They were setting out to the Dead Rock Island, where the town they had just destroyed had said the infamous Doctor resided. They set out, their ship backlit by the flames that had once been a prosperous town. Kidd's eyes were reflecting the light, crazed and red. He was not going to play by the rules anymore. Not that he had before, but he would be more. He would be whatever he needed to be, ruthless and merciless, to gain enough power to stand up to the Government and take back what was his. Killer stood beside him, calmly cleaning his blades. All crew members stared at the blood red waters in front of them to the open sea where their nakama was. Kidd grinned with no humor. They were coming. He could feel her out there. He knew when she left that she had said to forget about her, that things would be better this way. He snarled, his rage not abetted in the least by the destruction they had just wrecked. She would come back. He didn't care if it sent the whole World Government after them. They would get her back and continue on their journey. Suddenly he stumbled, gripping his head. Killer rushed over, "What's wrong, Kidd?" Kidd pushed him away roughly, growling as he felt the reverberations from her scream echo through his body. He clenched his eyes shut, welcoming the pain. He would remember all of this, and get everything out of her that had happened to her. Then he would return it to the perpetrators a hundred fold. The whole world would suffer if need be. He glared out from between his fingers, knowing he could nothing right now. He could feel her, but he couldn't get his thoughts to her. He thought it might be because while he had bitten her several times, getting some of her blood in his system, she had only bitten him once or twice in retaliation. He growled, determined to get her back and destroy those who had dared take her away.

After three more days, the crew reached their destination. They had spent the whole time training, Killer below decks lifting weights and practicing his sword techniques. Kidd had stayed on the upper deck, occasionally locking himself in his rooms, his crew assumed to practice as well. Nor were the rest of them idle. They sharpened weapons and practiced new techniques, all as hardened killers, determined to get their nakama back. After they had reached their destination, they sat far back, contemplating the small fleet that lay anchored in the rocky cove. Kidd threw his hand up in the air and roared, "LETS GO, MEN!" they surged forward, all forward at the bow, blood lust high in their eyes. They smashed through the fleet, destroying anyone and anything in the way. They made short work of the fleet, burning, smashing and killing everything that moved. As they walked along the shore, leaving Mohawk with the ship, Kidd noticed that the fleet was an escort for a Celestial Dragon. He grinned mercilessly, dropping his bloody metal in the sand. He turned with a flip of his bloodstained cloak, striding towards the gigantic metal doors that were as tall as 20 men. He held out his hand, "Repel!" and the doors groaned, falling down around him and his crew. Without stopping, they walked into the fetid domain of the most intelligent, cruelest man alive.

Kidd clenched his hands into claws. He had been working on a new technique, thinking of a couple others, and this was the perfect time to test them out. He grinned mercilessly, blood lust rising as more troops came pouring out. He flicked his head forward, and Zombie Man ran forward, shooting raging flames out his mouth, burning those unlucky to be in the front of the charge to a crisp. Before the flames had even gone down, Killer was in the midst of the survivors, a spinning whirl of steel and blood. Devil Man pointed his trident at another group, shooting out poisoned spikes with a wave of electricity following. The masses of troops fell like sakura petals on a windy day, hell exploding all around them. One man walked through it all, blood stained and tall, proud and strong. To those who saw him before they died, he looked like the Demon King himself, eyes red in the firelight, hair the color of flames, cloak flapping in the heat waves, his mouth twisted in a merciless grin as he ripped metal and weapons from dead and dying bodies.

He and his crew walked through purposefully, not swayed by anything they saw. They had one destination, and even if the world were to end right then, they would have kept going. Kidd closed his eyes, trying to feel where she was. Since he opened himself to search, he wasn't prepared for her mortal agony that slammed into him like a ton of bricks. He stumbled, catching himself on one knee, groaning from the backlash of what she felt. He knew he didn't feel all of what she did, and for that, he was somewhat grateful. He was sure it would have killed him. His crew made a loose circle around him, eyes alert for any threats, waiting patiently on their captain. He slowly stood, swaying, before storming off, killer intent rolling off of him in waves.

She was drowning, drowning in chemicals and pain. To be properly observed at this stage, they had stuck her in a glass case, tubes and wires stuck into her body, chains holding her in place as she floated in the poisonous, clear mixture. She knew from tidbits gathered that the Celestial Dragons were coming to see her. She had a couple ideas why, but she wasn't about to go there. They could want her as a slave. She grinned mercilessly, eyes closed. She would kill them before the traps set in place to restrain her could stop her, and they probably knew it. Still, one could hope. The other option… they were constantly going on about their lineage, and had traced it back to her time. Maybe they wanted heroic stories of their ancestors. She grinned again. Hell if she would give them what they wanted.

She was a little more lucid right now, not always a good thing. They had kept testing and torture to a minimum, wanting her to be in good shape when the Celestial Dragons came to visit. She mused over their name. it was one they didn't deserve. She had known some dragons in her time, and these pretentious humans had it coming if they wanted to keep that name. Besides, these humans were the lowest of the low, spawn of scum and filth. She snarled wordlessly, flickers of memories flying through her head. Their ancestors were the ones who had destroyed her people. She shifted, impatient. It would be easier to kill them if she had her weapons, but those had been thoughtfully retained and were being studied elsewhere. Luckily… her eyes closed as she thought about the key. All of the Living Weapons knew how to absorb their keys into their bodies for protecting it. After all, the keys were made with them specifically in mind, so their DNA mixed with the key allowed it to be absorbed. Of course, no one ever thought about killing her to get the key, since they thought if she died, then the secret would go with her. She smirked. The only way to get a Key off of a Key Holder was to kill them, and even then the Key Holder could just transfer the key to someone else.

They probably wanted to know where all the Poneglyphs were. She rolled her eyes inside closed eyelids. That's what they _all_ wanted. They also wanted to know the location of the weapons like Pluton, as well as the location of the Living Weapons and how to destroy all of it. She rolled her eyes again. Yah right. They would get that information over her dead body, and her dead body would give even less answers. After all, their group was split over the world, no contact unless on accident. Besides, she didn't know the location of them or the dead weapons, or all the Poneglyphs. They each knew where some resided, and kept the information buried deep inside their minds, so deep that they couldn't just know off the top of their heads. It took intense mediation and a determined will to pull the information out of one's own head. Like hell they were going to get it unwillingly. She snarled with pleasure. Even small battles won or lost could make a difference. Pain suddenly shot through her body in the form of electricity, shooting her eyes open and her mouth stretched in a wordless scream. When it was done, she lowered her head, looking down at the petty humans. She saw two Celestial Dragons, ridiculous in their bubble heads made so they wouldn't breathe the air of "commoners". She smirked at them, getting another session of pain as a reward. She heard them through the glass, talking about her. "Why is she up so high? I demand that she be lowered! I will not have some beast looking down at me!" she grinned, moving her middle fingers to stand straight up. They snarled at her, the young and the old. Fools, she thought, as they shot more electricity through her. There is nothing you can do to make me tell you anything. You thought your mere presence would ignite fear in me and make me spill? You think too highly of yourselves.

Her head snapped up, wary, as something moved in the shadow created by the vast machines that resided in the area. Her eyes widened with hate and fear as the shadow materialized into the Doctor, the man responsible for her pain and suffering. She glared at him, as he walked over to her glass cage. He went up past the Scum Spawn, putting a hand on the glass. She looked down at him, snarling and wishing she could rip his face off. Suddenly she saw something on his hand and his glasses flashed as he sent hyped up electric beams thought the glass and into the water. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw it coming in slow motion. Then the blackness hit her, and all she could feel were nerve endings being shredded. Then it stopped. She panted, the mask on her face allowing her barely enough oxygen to stay conscious. He looked up at her, smiling, his hand in the air. She was distracted by the blood that was flowing freely from her eyes and mouth from the force of her scream. _Not again…_ she whispered to herself, as her eyesight began to dim. The things she hated the most was how he targeted her eyes. Oh, he spent a fair amount of time on her birthmarks and the rest of her, and just starting to work on his experiments of her shadow form, but he was systematically destroying her eyes without giving her body time to recover. She breathed heavily, knowing it was because he knew she was a writer, a reader, an artist of words, and not having sight was like a swordsman losing both his arms. She was nothing without her eyes. She roared her fury, the sound muffled by the chemicals she floated in that were heightening her awareness of pain. Suddenly she felt something else in the back of her drug and pain muddled brain. It was an aura that was familiar, that she knew almost as well as her own. She shook her head. She must be imagining things. There was no way he could be here…

Then the wall in front of her exploded, and light poured in, making her squint her semi blind eyes. They widened as she recognized who she saw, and she started to shake, screaming at him to run, he was a fool, she had left to save him why couldn't he understand that! He looked at her, directing his killing intent and his murderous eyes to her, her head jerking back and her breath knocked out of her just from his look. _Haki?_ She wondered, before shaking her head. No, it wasn't the Force Of Will that could knock out those with inferior will, but it was a start, that was for sure. If she could just get him to leave, then he would definitely have time to work out his powers and his dreams… she looked down to see the Doctor looking at her, then at Kidd, then back at her, his glasses flashing as he looked very pleased. She snarled. It was never a good thing when he looked pleased. The Scum Spawn, aka Celestial Dragons, were yelling, telling Kidd they would send a Buster Call to this Island for interfering in their affairs! The Doctor turned to them quickly, explaining that that would be a bad idea since most of the research they were invested in was on this island.

She took this chance to strain against her restraints, looking as angry as possible at Kidd. She yelled from inside her tank, telling him to take off, she was never part of his crew to start. Suddenly sharpened spikes came out from his cloak, pinning all the people in the room like bugs on paper. She stared. She didn't know he had such control over his ability, to control singe metal items like weapons and then send them at multiple opponents. She had only seen him to the big, flashy stuff. He nodded at Killer, who jumped over the wreckage to her glass cage. He hung on it for a moment, staring at her. She pleaded at him with her eyes to just leave her alone, to escape. He shook his head and back flipped, landing lightly on one foot before jumping up, spinning his blades as fast as they could go before reaching her with his inhuman speed and strength. He sliced the top of her cage off, sending out the chemicals. She coughed, yelling in a hoarse voice, "Don't touch the liquid! It's poisoned!" Of course, it was burning through the metal panel below her, and had missed Killer but had gotten his shirt. At her words, he ripped it off, lean muscles glinting with sweat and the light of the rising sun. She hung there, breathing fresh oxygen for the first time in a week, gulping in air, shaking. She closed her eyes, steeling herself, looking up into his golden eyes. He stood, silhouetted by the flames, his hair waving in the wind, cloak whipping around his body. He was a rock, steady and firm. He stared at her, his face utterly serious. Then his face broke into a smirk. "Sorry to keep you waiting." She stared at him, tears streaming silently and unnoticed down her face.

He was beyond furious. It hung like a thunderstorm around him, how angry he was at her, at what he had seen, had felt. He had nearly destroyed the whole place right then, when he saw the tubes trailing out of her body and the chemicals tearing at her skin and the blood that floated in the liquid. He was icily furious, determined to destroy this whole, stinking island. He flicked his hand at her restraints, and they came off, shooting into the walls. She fell down to the ground and lay there, arching her body in pain, naked and laid bare to the world. He snarled, walking forward. He stopped when she held out a hand, vomiting up blood before turning her haunted face to his._ Leave…_she whispered in his head, her eyes angry._ Don't make my suffering in vain you fool!_ She looked away, down at her hands that could barely support her weight, at the blood flowing down her body."This," she whispered, voice beyond recognition, "is my life now. I will pay for my past sins this way." she smiled sadly at her arms, face hidden from him in the shadows, voice shaking, "My life with you all was a lie. I am a shell of a person, nothing at all. All the years have slowly sucked my life from me. My last wish is that you all are not carried down to hell with me, since everyone I have every come in contact with have died quickly and painfully." She turned her head towards him painfully, a sad, naked figure on the melting floor, her blood pooling around her. "LEAVE!" she yelled suddenly, tears in her eyes, "CANT YOU SEE I WANT TO DIE?"

The heavy silence that followed that statement was broken by a cackle in the corner. Kidd barely turned his head, looking at the man who had a spike coming out of his shoulder. _I missed,_ Kidd thought dispassionately. _I have to work on my aim…_ he raised his hand, getting ready to send out another spike that would not miss. Suddenly he felt a familiar presence and turned with loathing and disgust to the sumo man who had appeared.

Sentoumaru put himself between Kidd and the Doctor, his axe out. "Why are you back, weakling?" said Sentoumaru calmly, "Didn't I thrash you well and good last time? I spared your life. This time I will not be so kind."

Burakkuson cried out, "STOP! You promised not to hurt him if I came with you!" Sentoumaru didn't even look at her as he thrust his hand out, using the electric glove on her. Her head was thrown back, hair flying, body arching, as she screamed and screamed, the pain making her bleed out of her mouth, eyes and ears. Kidd roared, throwing every piece of metal he had gotten his hands on at the man. Sentoumaru disappeared, taking the Doctor with him. As he ran, the Doctor yelled out, crazy and feeling in full control, happy with the pain going on around him, "You cannot have it! It is mine now! It has realized its highest attainment in life is to be my experiment, my slave! I will not give it to you ever! It will usher in a new age of technology, then die watching all the modified, improved versions bring the world to the Governments Peace!" He laughed, a maniac sound, making Burakkuson wince and Kidd roar with anger.

Suddenly the room was covered with strange half machines half men. They looked somehow familiar, but Kidd could not figure how these things would look like someone. He glanced at Burakkuson, seeing horrified recognition stark on her face. She closed her eyes, a soundless scream coming out of her broken mouth, her torn face looking at the floor.

It was that that got him in the end. Hearing her scream had been hard enough, but hearing the wheeze that was her scream made his mind go blank with rage, his vision turning red. He grinned Death's Grin, sending his power out. The metal tower began to buckle, and everyone stumbled slightly. Kidd threw his head back and hands out, roaring his rage to the skies. Burakkuson sat amidst the falling debris, her eyesight fading in and out. She strained to see him, knowing she shouldn't try but wanted to anyway. Suddenly her vision became crystal clear, and she saw him standing in front of her, his body covered in blood that wasn't his own, his eyes full of rage, his body silhouetted by the flames from the lower levels and accented by the falling debris. At that moment, she had never seen anyone more beautiful or powerful than him. She smiled tiredly, glad that she had decided to give up her life for this man, even if she had only known him a short time. He and the crew were standing in the gaping hole in the wall. She avoided eye contact, knowing it would only make this harder. She grit her teeth, holding onto her sanity for just a moment longer. She couldn't put them in anymore danger!

Kidd turned towards her, speaking matter of fact like. "It doesn't matter what you do or say to me. We came to get you back. You have no choice. Only after that will you be able to tell me you want to die. But first… look at me!" he commanded, and she shrunk into herself, refusing to listen to his voice. She winced in mental and physical pain as he yelled, "LOOK ME IN THE EYES WHEN YOU SAY THAT!" Her head rose up, and tears swam in her eyes. She could see only him, look only into his eyes. Her throat worked, but no sound came out. She turned her head in shame, ashamed of her weakness. She couldn't even protect them! "YOU DO NOT BELONG TO HIM! YOU BELONG TO US, YOUR NAKAMA! ARN'T YOU ARE YOUR OWN PERSON? ISNT THAT WHAT YOU TOLD ME WHEN YOU FIRST CAME TO US?" She threw her head up, looking desperately at him, his face serious, his crew staring at her, waiting. She sat there, naked and shuddering from pain, tubes, wires and chains hanging over her body, and slowly felt the tears leak out of her eyes as she looked at them, at him. He spoke again, yelling over the sounds of the building tearing itself to pieces, "I WILL FINSIH THIS! WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SAY TO ME?"

She closed her eyes, shaking, then looked back at him, into the golden eyes of the only one who could destroy her and save her. She yelled back, tears streaming unnoticed and unchecked down her face. "I will wait for you! You are the only one to who can make me feel truly alive!" She stood slowly, shaking, as she took a deep, shaky breath and yelled, "Take me to sea with you again!" he grinned, a maniac smile on his face. They made quite a pair, Death's Shadow and Death's Smile.

She suddenly collapsed, utterly spent. He walked towards her, his footsteps reverberating through her body. She didn't even care that she was totally naked in front of all of them. Her breathing was fast and shallow, blood and fluid still oozing from unhealed, disgusting wounds. Kidd made a noise of pain and anger, gently touching her body. She flinched, opening her eyes to him. It was then that he noticed the worst wound, and his throat tightened and his vision tinged red as he saw her blood red eyes look back at him unseeingly. If these were her Shadow form eyes, then they would have been closer to bright ruby red. These eyes were sickly, dark red, bloody tears leaving tracks down her face. She was so skinny… he growled, and she grabbed his hand, bringing it to her face. He stopped, shocked, as she initiated the contact. _I told you, it's easier to talk to people when I touch them_ she said, a pained smile coating her thoughts before she was wracked with painful shudders as poison and chemicals worked their way through her system again, damaging her over and over again. She wasn't sure she could fix all this…_ I will wait for you,_ she rasped in his head, holding his hand to her cheek._ I am sorry, I have been such trouble. But I will wait… I believe… in you… Kidd…_ Her body arched as she threw up more tainted blood, turning her head so it wouldn't get on her crew. She shook, barely hanging on to her life. Kidd slowly took his hand away from her face, his face in shadows. He moved swiftly, taking off his cloak and gently setting it on her. She grinned at him, struggling to breathe, to say her thanks. He gently pushed her head down. "I promise," He murmured, "that I will be strong enough to protect you." He looked at Killer and Zombie Man, and they flew over to her, Zombie Man checking her vitals and trying to get her ready for immediate transport. Killer landed facing away from her, his body taunt and wary, looking everywhere and not missing a thing. He chopped up a falling piece of debris, nodding quickly at Kidd, telling him that they would take care of things here. Kidd nodded his head, trusting his nakama. He shot off, his crafting of metal boots finished and allowing for him to repel himself to the upper layers where his prey lay in wait, his eyes hard as flint and burning with angry fire.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

He went up, farther and farther, using the falling metal to jump higher. He was focusing on jumping and avoiding debris that he almost didn't see the shadow forming under him. He swerved away at the last second, the axe nicking his arm. He winced, his eyes narrowing. He spun in midair, pulling the falling metal towards his body. Sentoumaru used Moon Step, the strong double kick that allowed those skilled enough to almost walk on air, to keep from falling, watching the pirate fall to his death, surrounded by his useless metal. Then suddenly the metal warped, and Kidd jumped back up, his arm held back, gaining momentum for a punch. His speed was unlike anything he had done before, and his appearance was enough to shock any opponent. He landed on a beam, his fist still clenched from the bone crunching blow he had just dealt his opponent. Sentoumaru wavered, collapsing on a part of the floor. He took a deep breath and stood straight, contemplating his opponent. Kidd had not just brought metal around willy nilly. He had warped and twisted the metal, forming it like a glove on his body. On his shoulders were huge spikes, and one hand had a dagger protruding from it. The metal was different types and kinds, but the overall affect was effective. It was a good defense and offense, allowing him to protect against most weapons and create some of his own. He grinned mercilessly, settling into a fighters crouch. This is what he had been preparing for! They both lunged at each other, colliding with a huge crash and crunch of metal.

Down below Killer was having to pick up the pace, not helped by the shaking of the building. "Are you almost done?" he yelled back at their doctor who looked like he was trying to make Burakkuson a zombie with gauze. He shook his head. "She shouldn't be alive." He said simply. "Anyone else going through what just my preliminary search shows she went through would have died. I don't know how she is still alive." He continued to wrap up her wounds, leaving a very sober Killer to fend off falling debris. _Hurry up Kidd. We don't know how much longer she will hold out. Don't you dare die, Kidd, not after we've come this far!_

The battle above raged on, taking up most of the day. The crew had managed to get Burakkuson bandaged and stable enough to move, but even then she was coughing up blood, moaning in some foreign language. Killer was carrying her while the crew around him destroyed the rest of the island, all making sure that nothing came close to their newly rescued nakama. He clutched her to his chest, lean but impossibly strong, willing her to stay alive. She was barely breathing, fading in and out. She had screamed once as they passed through flames, and after that they avoided the fire as best they could.

Kidd panted, his bare chest scratched and bleeding, sweat stinging his cuts and his eyes. His opponent was better off, but not by much. Kidd knew his strength was fading. They should have had time now to get Burakkuson off the tower and hopefully into the ship. The flames and slash marks his crew had left behind was taking care of the tower, and his earlier deep reach into the metal was making the tower shift and sway as it lost its stability.

Kidd grinned, a maniac light in his eyes. He stood up straight, waiting. Sentoumaru eyed him before zig zagging over, his axe blocked by Kidd's metal arm. As they stood there, Sentoumaru felt his eyes widen as the metal seemed to disappear into Kidd's skin. Kidd was grimacing, the pain well worth the power. As the metal was heated and melted in his body, he reformed it, making an impenetrable shell on his insides that oozed through his pores to the outside. He was now a full metal man, untouchable. He threw out his palm, spewing liquid metal at the sumo man, who dodged it for the most part, some of it landing on him. He tried to brush it off, but it started to burrow in his skin. His eyes widened in pain and he looked at Kidd, seeing a monster standing there with liquid metal floating around his body and his very body oozing metal. Sentoumaru snarled, jumping back and down. Kidd walked over to the edge, eyeing his handiwork. Sentoumaru had thought Kidd could control only metal he could see. His assumption was dead wrong, and he was writhing on the newly formed metal spikes that lay in a veritable carpet under their plank. Kidd grinned and let the metal drop, taking the sumo man with it. There was a satisfying crash, and Kidd smirked before stumbling, his eyes wide open but his body unable to deal with the constant barrage and pressure. As he started fall to the plank, he thought about his goals, his promise. He willed himself to move, but couldn't seem to do it. He lay there, the building falling around him. Well, he thought, I did it. I defeated some of the World Government dogs. My bounty is sure to rise… he heard his crew yelling from the ship, telling him to move. He couldn't even acknowledge them, barely being able to turn his head. Suddenly the building tilted, and he rolled off the plank. He caught at the edge before falling, his face rueful as he plummeted to his death. Rueful it may have been, but remorseful, never. As he fell he didn't regret one thing he had done. Suddenly his descent slowed, and he looked down, seeing sickly vines thrusting up out of the floor, slowing his fall. He landed hard on his side, trying to pick himself up off the ground. He thought this island was dead… then he looked on the ship. Killer was holding her and she had one arm stretched out, her eyes open but unseeing. He looked down, seeing familiar patterns in the vines. Suddenly they shriveled and died, and she shuddered and collapsed in Killer arms, passing out. _Would you say… that we are even now? _She whispered sardonically, knowing there was nothing she could do to repay him._ If you promise to never run away again, I will say we are even._ She looked over in his direction, surprise lending her a small amount of strength. She felt him grin, then pass out as the debris tumbled around him. She yelled as Killer gave her to Zombie Man and ran back to get his captain. _Dammit!_ Killer cursed, weaving in and out of the debris._ You were so close Kidd! You couldn't have stayed conscious a little bit longer?_ Suddenly the rubble shot up, and Kidd rose up, his head down, arms heavy at his sides. Killer yelled at him, telling him to move. When he just swayed, Killer picked him up, putting Kidd on his back to carry him. Killer practically threw him up on his shoulders, staying still only long enough to make sure he was secure before taking off for the ship.

They almost didn't make it, but Killer managed to put on a burst of speed and leaped onto the ship, breathing heavily as he fell to his knees, Kidd lying next to him. Burakkuson watched the island burn and crumble, feeling a tear fall down her cheek. That place, with its horrible memories and dead land, was destroyed all in a day, all to get her back. She watched, sight allowing her to see little bits and pieces of what was going on. In her one clear moment, she gasped as the flames and warped metal fell, collapsing on the island, the fire and metal warping destroying the land. Soon it would just be rubble. She smiled grimly, leaning back. She knew it wasn't over, but for now, she could be done. She closed her useless eyes, her grin stretching into something sinister as she began to laugh, the laugh evolving into a dark parody of laughter. Kidd smiled at her from his position on the floor, and she grinned back, leaning her head back and basking in the sun, free at least for awhile.

She spent the next week in bed, zombie man working himself to the bone to try and repair all the damage. Kidd stomped around the ship, kicking debris and cursing his luck. They had never really needed a doctor on board, and the one they had wasn't the best. He had heart rumors of a strange doctor from North Blue… but the rumors surrounding him were too sinister for Kidd to leave his crew in that mans hands. So he just grumbled and stalked around the ship, or stood motionless for hours as she screamed, leaning up against the door to her room, just standing, his face in shadows. The only sign of his inner turmoil was the blood leaking from his hands and arms when he griped too tightly with his nails.

Killer was worried about both of them. While worrying when it came to Kidd was normal, this was not the same kind of situation as normal. And then he was worried that Burakkuson might not even make it out alive, let alone out of her personal mental hell.

She gradually began to recover, her bodies own regenerative abilities taking over, slowly but surely. Everything had been damaged while she had been there, even her ability to regenerate. She started breathing normally and sleeping short periods of time before waking up screaming. But her eyes still hadn't healed. Zombie man was utterly exhausted, and was asleep by the seventh day of her recovery, on the day he deemed that she wasn't at risk for dying anymore, as long as she didn't stress herself out, mentally or physically. She smiled at his prone form before turning her face to the ceiling, her smile fading as she closed her eyes, pretending to sleep. She knew if she fell asleep, she would dream and wake up screaming. She clenched her eyes shut, gritting her teeth. She was ashamed that everyone had to suffer for her weakness. A tear trickled down her cheek. She didn't see the man standing in the corner, hidden by the shadows, watching her with golden eyes. His eyes were hard as he watched the tear fall. He closed his eyes and swept out of the room silently.

After two weeks, she had recovered from the Dead Rock incident; at least, for the most part. She still woke up screaming, silently or out loud. Now she just didn't sleep much, only taking little naps, even at night. He usually found her out at night, in the front of the ship, watching the stars. She didn't smile anymore. She didn't laugh, other than that maniac laugh when the island had fallen apart. He could see how much just a week in there had hurt her, mentally and physically. He clenched his hands, a silent snarl on his face as he stalked up to her, spinning her around. "What are you doing?" he growled, keeping his voice low to keep the crew away. She looked up at him, her eyes empty, sightless. Her eyes, her once beautiful eyes, bore into his, as if she was trying to see him. She slowly, hesitantly reached her hand up, touching his face, trailing her hand down his face, the other resting on his chest, her face inches from his. He shivered, nothing to do with the weather. Couldn't she see what she did to him? Then her eyes came back into focus and she blushed slightly, bringing her hands back quickly before turning her back to him. "I'm sorry" she whispered. "I am trying…" he saw a tear drop through the air. Before he knew it, it had landed on his hand. He had reached around her, pressing up against her, protecting her from sight, catching her tear. She turned to look up at him, questions in her eyes. He didn't let her eyes leave his through shear will power as he brought the tear to his mouth. He put his hand back down, on her lips. She gasped slightly, trying to back away. She hit the rails, surprise making her stumble. He caught her, binding her to his well muscled body. She looked up, unsure and uncertain. She started to shake her head, before he grabbed the back of her neck almost gently and pulled her head back, sealing her mouth, along with her uncertainty and insecurities and protests. She resisted, like he knew she would. He took over her mouth, his own desperation making him rough. He was desperate to touch her, to make sure she was real and back, to bring back her mind, to bring her all the way back from the abyss she had fallen into, and to assert himself as the center of her world. As she struggled to get away, she twinged her wounds and winced. He took advantage of her pause and strode off towards his private quarters. He brought his head back up from her mouth with a force of will, and used his hand to cover her mouth and muffle any sounds she made. She continued to struggle, weak from her injuries and something else she didn't want to indentify. He strode quickly back to his private room, no matter how much she struggled. However, he didn't want to hurt her. Just bring her back.

They made it into his room, and the door slammed shut behind them, leaving them in total blackness. He took his hand from her mouth and replaced it with his. He was rough but gentle, more so than last time. She couldn't think straight, he overwhelmed her body and soul. And a part of her wanted him, wanted him to make her feel alive and wanted. But she couldn't do this… she caught her breath, his lips trailing fire down her neck to her collar bone. She gripped his hair, trying to pull his head away. If only she could see!... but her stint at Dead Rock had robbed her of her sight, and she didn't know when or if she would ever get it back. It had been two weeks… but she could feel the darkness on her skin, knew he was just as blind as her right now. She was pressed up against the wall, sandwiched between it and his body. She blushed, furious he was doing this to her. She just wanted to be alone! Then she stopped breathing, her hands still in his hair. He had crossed a line. He had trailed his kisses down to her collarbone, and his hand was sliding her shirt off, caressing every scar on her body. He licked at all the wounds he could find, trying to erase them with his own marks. She moaned softly, trying to control herself. She couldn't let him win… she felt his cloak fall to the floor, along with his knife and gun strap. She renewed her struggle, not liking where this was going one little bit. If she could just get her legs to move… she winced as pain shot down her left side, leaving her breathless.

Kidd noticed her breathing was getting ragged. He could feel her flinch as the pain went through her, on her left side. The World Government Doctor had paid special attention to the birthmarks that never went away, no matter what he had tried to do to them. Kidd growled softly, feeling her shiver from the sound reverberating from her collar bone. He grinned against her skin, feeling her tremble with suppressed need that she refused to recognize. He would move slowly, show her a new pain, one that would wipe out her previous pains. He would bind her to him irrevocably. They would never be able to take her away gain. He nuzzled her neck, his hands traveling over her body, feeling her under his hands again. He grabbed her hair, loving the way it felt in his hand. He clenched his hands, pulling her head back, feeling her face wince and her mouth open to yell at him. He sealed her mouth with his, loving her taste, the way she felt. She tasted like spring. He mused, hands wandering, if the rest of her tasted like that… he grinned, biting at her lips. She growled, scratching the side of his face. He grabbed her hands, growling, "If you can't behave, then I will put these hands were they will not interfere." She snarled and lunged, her hands out like claws. He caught them again, using his power to secure them next to her head. Then he reached out, summoning a small circlet. He sealed her mouth with his, knowing she would hate this but feeling that this was the only way to keep her close to him. He snapped the delicate necklace around her neck, a band about one inch tall, elongating to about three inches the farther towards the middle of her chest it got. It only reached to the bottom of her collar bone, with a small engraving of Kidd's Jolly Roger surrounded by a Blackthorn trees thorn's, on the front of its silver surface. She froze, trying to identify the strange metal that had appeared on her neck.

She started to growl, her face forming into a snarl. He pulled her into him, holding her so she couldn't escape. "Please…" he said, his deep rumbling voice coming to her through their chests pressed so close together. She felt more than heard it, and stopped, not sure she heard correctly. He had buried his face in her neck, gripping her body with one arm and her hair with the other hand. "Just wear it. I know you won't like it, but I need to know where you are, I need to show the world that you can't be taken from me." He growled these words, never moving his face, hiding his needs in her hair. She froze, totally taken aback. He _never_ asked for anything._ EVER._ He took whatever he wanted and destroyed what he didn't. She slowly pulled back, trying to see him with her sightless eyes. He shifted, and she felt his scent roll over her, of metal and blood and himself, and she closed her eyes, breathing him in. he shifted again, and she felt him kiss each of her useless, disgusting eyes. She shuddered, remembering what had led to her enslavement, and what had been said by Sentoumaru before her capture. She took a deep breath. She had to ask…

"Did you really spread a rumor of my whereabouts?" she asked softly. He tensed, jerking away. She reached out blindly, trying to find his face. Her hands touched his back. She lightly ran her fingers up to his face, turning it around. He looked at her, shame and anger on his face as he looked at what he had done to her. Her face was pleading with him to tell her it was a lie. He closed his eyes and turned his head. "Yes," He said gruffly, tense as a taut wire, waiting for her anger, for her rage at his betrayal. She looked at him, her face broken and unreadable.

Suddenly she slapped him. He looked at her, anger warring with shame on his face. He clenched his fists, drawing blood. He hit the wall next to her head, the noise startling her. He knew he deserved so much worse, but his pride wouldn't let him be angered.

She spoke sharply, poking his chest, "What were you thinking! I told you that if you told everyone who and where I was then the Government would come after you! You're lucky it wasn't an Admiral or Shichibukai! You would have died for sure and then what would have happened to your dream! You need to THINK before you ACT, you baka!"

He stared at her, shocked. He shook his head… was he hearing her right? There was no accusations, no blaming him for her pain. Just telling him off for not thinking first and putting his life in danger. He growled, pulling her to him, crushing her hand in between them. What was wrong with her? She had every right to hate him for that, yet she only talked about him. She struggled, still angry. He pulled her back, staring into her sightless eyes. She paused, then looked away, closing her eyes. She could tell when he looked at her. She didn't want him to see her disgusting eyes.

"Why don't you hate me?" she heard him growl. She turned slightly, trying to look at him. "Who says I don't?" she asked crossly. He shook her, shoving her up against the wall. She winced at the pressure on her sore side. "I betrayed you, nearly killed you, made you go through something worse than death, and yet all you can yell at me about is my own safety!" he was yelling, not understanding what she did or why she did it. She turned her face towards him, ugly eyes staring at him, her face thoughtful. She spoke softly, "Because out of all the humans I have met, you are the most passionate about life. You destroy things and you're ruthless but you have a dream and you will not give up on it. Too many in this world give up and lay on the side of the road of dreams. But you are barreling down it, not letting anything stop you. Somehow, you… drew me in," she said wryly. "I don't know… but I do know, that… I don't want to leave," she looked down, embarrassed, trying to make it come out right. "You, gave me a reason to live again, when I was giving up hope. And then… you gave me the greatest thing a person could have…" she looked up at him, her face sincere, "You gave me a reason… to die. To protect something more than an ancient sacred site. You gave me more reasons to live, and something to die to protect. Because if you died…" she stopped, voice caught. She continued on in a whisper, "I would not want to live, no matter the duties or tasks I have." she lowered her head, shaking. "Just the thought of you lying still, not breathing… not chasing me around, not standing at the wheel during a storm or fighting with that fierce look on your face… seeing you motionless and expressionless... would kill me in ways that living for 900 years could never do."

A tear leaked out, and he touched her face, bringing the tear into his mouth. He closed his eyes, tasting her sorrow… he pulled back quickly, looking at her face. She was smiling, looking down, touching the metal around her neck. Then she looked up at him, straight into his eyes. She smiled softly, touching his face. He gaped at her, not believing what he saw. She chuckled at his reaction. Her eyes shone bright, the purple flecks catching the moonlight. Her chuckle turned into a laugh, and she threw her head back, laughing for the sheer joy of it. She looked at him, eyes bright. "Thank you," she said softly, fervently, "for giving me my life back, and a new one to boot." He looked away, slightly embarrassed at all her emotion. "Well," he said gruffly, "good thing your eyes are back. Now you can take your turn as lookout…" she touched his lips softly with her fingers, making him stop mid breath, not believing she was touching him of her own free will. She smiled at him softly, "not just my sight, although without that I would have been lost too. But you showed me how to live again. And for that, I am eternally grateful." She smiled, joy infusing her face as she back flipped away gently before racing off around the ship. That night, she saw everything again for the first time. It would take time for her eyes to fully heal. They were still bloodshot, but her tears were normal again. It was that that had hinted to Kidd that maybe her eyes had been healed. She laughed, a pure, ringing sound. The crew watched, leaning against various barrels and rails. Killer sat on the rail on the upper deck with the rest, knowing that things were changing, but that right now, everything was alright in this little world.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

She spent the next week under strict supervalence, only allowed to walk around for 15 minutes at a time, for a total of about an hour a day. While she put up a protest, she was secretly relived whenever she was almost forced to sit down. It gave her shaky legs a respite and let her think. She had a lot to think about after all. Past and present were both barreling toward the future, and there were a lot of things she needed to straighten out in her head. Wherever she looked she saw him, she saw him usually staring at her, warning her with his eyes that he would not listen to any complaints about her recovery regimen. She smiled softly at the thought, her hands pulling through her hair. She was letting it loose nowadays. She loved the feel of the ocean breeze blowing through her hair. She touched her key softly and closed her eyes, remembering past and present. She was sitting on a crate at the side of the ship, watched out of the corner of every eye present. She thought about playing a trick and falling overboard, but she thought better of it. Every single one of them might die of heart attacks, and Kidd would kill her the second she got back on. Or worse, make it so she couldn't ever leave her room! She swallowed, not liking that thought. She had thought it miraculous that he let her out on deck after all that had happened. He wasn't nearly this easygoing when she had first boarded the ship.

She smirked. Well, they did know each other a little better… she looked at him, standing next to Killer at the steering, his body a solid rock in the wind blowing off the ocean, his eyes sure as he tracked their course. She stared at him. Did she really know him better? He was the one who had rescued her. She supposed that she had found out a little something about him. But she didn't really know him. She stared up at him, and resolved to change that. He looked down at her, feeling her eyes. He scowled, not looking away. She smiled, laughing softly. She remembered something now; He had mentioned the strange tattoo on her back right shoulder blade yesterday. She closed her eyes, remembering:

She was sitting up, eating the soup with her bandaged hands, her tongue sticking out as she concentrated. Suddenly her door was thrown open, and the slight shock combined with the gust of wind to knock her bowl out of her hands. She watched it, resignation on her face. Then she looked up into his eyes, too close for rational thought. Her brain short circuited, noticing he didn't have his cloak back on, or his weapons strap yet. These simple facts meant he was shirtless, even if he did have bandages all over. She breathed slowly, trying not to hyperventilate. He pulled back, having reached past her lightning quick to get the bowl before it spilled. He sat slowly next to her, holding the bowl out. She took it, nodding her head, as she continued her battle with spoon and bowl. He was quiet but she never forgot he was there. His presence was too big for someone to forget he was in the room. And he was shirtless. Suddenly he reached out to her right shoulder, caressing it before sliding down her back, stopping at the ink on her shoulder blade. She froze, almost dropping the bowl again. He took it from her gently, sighing.

"Where is this from?" he asked. She looked at him askance. He knew something about the others, having been told by the enemy in several hints. She reached up, resting her hand on her shoulder. She sighed. Then she surprised him. She started singing softly, more of a chant or a poem, but the words:

I am the wind that blows across the sea;

I am the wave of the deep;

I am the roar of the ocean;

_I am the stag of seven battles;_

_I am the hawk on the cliff;_

_I am a ray of sunlight;_

**I am the greenest of plants;**

**I am a wild boar;**

I am a salmon in the river;

I am a lake on the plain;

I am the word of knowledge;

I am the point of a spear;

I am the lure beyond the ends of the earth;

I can shift my shape like a God

From the Song of Amergin

She finished on the last, lingering note. She paused, then closed her eyes, and sang it in her language. When she finished, his eyes were open wide in surprise and wonder. When she sang it in her language… even though he couldn't understand the words, the sound was… amazing. Pure. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard. She laughed softly, touching the back of his hand lightly. She did that more often now, just reaching out to touch him occasionally. He found himself doing to same thing, just touching her to know she was there.

When she finished the last note, her eyes were still closed and a tear escaped, sliding down her cheek. Kidd leaned forward, touching it with his finger, wiping it off roughly. She blinked at him, then smiled. "That is the song of my homeland, an ancient, wise poem, passed down through the generations. It was the… motto, I guess, for the Library I worked at. Don't" she said, holding a hand up, "ask me about it. I cannot answer the questions that you are not ready to hear the answer too." He growled, and she touched his lips absently, trying to have him stay quiet. It worked.

Then she turned so he could see her whole back. The only clothing she wore was a roll of bandages around her chest and loose shorts on her bottom. She was trying very hard not to get red when one of the guys, especially Kidd, saw her like this. She knew they had seen her butt naked not under the best of circumstances, but still, a girls gotta draw lines somewhere. He traced her tattoos as she sang/spoke her part of the poem:

I am the word of knowledge;

I am the point of a spear;

"Those are the words imprinted on my back. The other verses," and here her voice dropped out of habit, "are inscribed along my "sisters" backs." He looked at her, waiting. Then he asked, "are they your real sisters?" she stiffened, ignoring the throbbing pain in her side. "They are more real to me than a blood and bone sister would be! We are bound by a bond greater than blood." She shook, tired from sitting up so long and almost getting in an argument with Kidd again.

He chuckled, still stroking her back. She started to turn slowly to avoid hurting herself again. She was tense, muscles standing out, trying to move without pain shooting up her sides. Suddenly she found herself being pulled backwards, and she squeaked, a sound she detested. She covered it with a growl. He absently covered her mouth, and she subsided, grumbling. She couldn't deny that it felt good to lean up against his bare, well muscled chest. She sighed, relaxing into him. He looked down, still surprised that she wasn't as averse to touching him as she had been before… but she still made it a challenge, sometimes not giving in to him. He was gentler than he ever had been with anyone, but only because she had been wounded past the point of death. When she was recovered… he chuckled darkly. She turned her head, looking up at him, her eyebrow cocked and her face saying, whatever you are thinking, it's not going to happen. He laughed, looking forward to when she was better. Then he could punish her suitably.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

He was very, very angry. She covered her mouth, trying to calm her breathing and smother her laughter. She berated herself, grinning shamelessly, chortling. She knew that what she said would set him off, but she couldn't help it. Every time she did something like this, Killer just shook his head, recalling the many conversations he had had with her on the crow's nest. She would laugh, saying how much she just loved to rile him. He sighed. She may be hundreds of years old, but concerning Kidd, she had yet to learn there were limits. She had very much crossed the line on this latest joke. She had casually compared him to a clown she had heard about from East Blue. A clown. Of all things. Killer shook his head at the memory, amazed she could court death on such a frequent basis. She had roared with laughter at Kidd's face, doubled over and stumbling away, knowing his indignant shock would turn to rage soon.

She giggled, remembering his face. She couldn't help that he was so easy to tease! She felt something behind her shift and she tensed, turning fast, jumping as her hiding place was destroyed. She was too busy admiring the thorough damage that she forgot to run out of range of his technique. She was fully recovered from the Dead Rock incident, and she made full use of her fully operational body, reveling in the freedom of movement by teasing Kidd then fighting or running away. Not that she could run away on a ship. But still, she tried. She had always had a problem with the wrist, then the ankle restraints, but since rescuing her, he had installed a new addition to her metal restraints. The necklace was beautiful, she gave him that. She touched it now, shorter and skin tight compared to her key necklace. It was a kind of choker, with an extension that was about 3 inches tall at the center, and it had her crews Jolly Roger engraved on it, surrounded by Blackthorn thorns. She tugged at it uselessly, frustrated beyond measure at his new actions and additions. I am going to punch him into next week, she thought grimly as she flew towards him. She stopped, frozen in position in front of him, staring into his furious eyes. Next she knew, she was in his quarters, the door locked behind him and the window latched and closed. The sudden darkness caused her to blink. In that blinking second, she was slammed up against the far wall, taking her breath away. As she tried to recover, Kidd slowly stalked over, an angry smirk on his face. He slowly lifted his hand, floating her up off the floor. She was gasping, trying to fit air back into her lungs, angry at his rough methods. He brought up his other hand, and shot one metal restraint at her left wrist. She was breathing hard, her body running slow as it repaired the wounds he had re opened, glaring at the man in front of her. She pulled uselessly at her arm, knowing he had secured it too well for her to be able to pull it out from her current position. He held out his hand, shoving her other arm back, shooting another restraint at that arm. She stood there panting, glaring at him. He grinned, a merciless grin that sent shivers down her spine. She smirked back at him, her hands by her head. As he got closer, she lunged forward, fangs snapping together, missing his ear but taking the hand he held up in defense. His head snapped back, holding his hand up, and he growled, "You were seriously trying to get me that time, weren't you?" she smirked at him, giving her best seductive killing look, not going down without a fight. He grinned back, knowing she didn't know, yet, how his blood dripping down her lips, her smirk and her body turned like that, turned him on to the extreme. He stepped forward, one hand on the wall next to her waist and the other pulling her hair back, making her wince and growl. He didn't kiss her, and she opened one eye, unsure as to what he was doing. He grinned when she looked at his eyes, catching her. Her other eye slowly opened, and her breathing became slightly ragged and shallow. He grinned slowly, bringing the hand on the wall slowly to her waist. She flinched away, trying to look down, but he wouldn't let her; not with the grip on her hair or his mesmerizing eyes.

Later that night… _

He watched her face with one eye, the other closed, as she tried to muster up some anger at what he had done. But he could see that he had taken a toll on her, and she was exhausted. He chuckled, shifting over to whisper in her ear, "That was just the beginning, my Shadow… Tomorrow is another day…" she growled softly, swiping at him. He grabbed her hand, kissing her wrist. She opened her eyes wide, surprised, and met his eyes. He hadn't done something that… gentle… all night. He was a man of passions, she had known that. But this was something entirely different than the normal scope of things, she thought somewhat wryly, absently running her hand up and down his strong, broad back, staring at him. They scared and enthralled her, those eyes. They held such passion in them… and right now, it was all directed at her. She stared right back at him, refusing to be cowed, even naked as she was. He chuckled in approval, stretching languidly so her head ended up fitting under his chin with his arms around her. She wiggled, disgruntled. He just pulled the sheet up and growled into her hair, "I will never let you go." She froze, hearing the finality in those words. Her stomach twisted, with apprehension and excitement. She grumbled, too tired to protest much. He chuckled, and that was the last sound she heard before slipping into the blackness of sleep.

He caressed her face as she slept, watching the moonbeams trace a path on her face. He covered her possessively, refusing to let anyone else see her like this. She was his, no matter what happened. He had marked her, with steel and with his body. She could never escape him now. He smirked, his hand buried in her hair, her body one with his. She was the perfect height, fitting right into the curve of his muscular body. He pulled her tighter, too tight, causing her to groan softly in her sleep. He pulled her in tightly again before loosening her a little. She sighed, relaxing into his chest. He started, surprised. Then he grinned, letting his body curl around hers. His arms wrapped around her and he smelled her scent, still somewhat aroused. He laid his head back, knowing he had to get some sleep or tomorrow was gonna be hell…

He woke up slowly, light seeping in through the window. He looked down to see her in his arms still, even though she was awake. That was surprise number one. Surprise number two was her face, a contemplating look as her fingers stroked his hair. She started when she saw he was awake, and tried to pull her hand back. He grabbed it, putting it up to his mouth, sucking on her fingers, his eyes never leaving hers. She noticeably swallowed, but didn't break eye contact. She pulled her hand back, putting it on his face. She slowly brought her face up to his, and he held absolutely still, just staring at her calmly. She kissed him softly, eyes still hazy with exhaustion and sleep, before closing her eyes and sighing, sinking into his chest. He stared at her, surprised again. Three surprises in a row. He didn't know if he could handle any more today… he looked around slowly at his room. He guessed it was still pretty early, if she was tired enough to just fall back asleep. Well, no point in getting up extra early… he lay there, staring at the woman lying lightly in his arms, just watching her breathe.

But Kidd was not known for his patience. He eventually got up, muffling a groan as he held his head, sitting on the side of the bed. He hadn't done something like that in a long time, and he was fairly sore. He grinned through the net of his fingers, remembering what had made him so sore, knowing she would be worse off. He walked around, picking up his clothes and putting them on, constantly checking on his bed mate. She breathed softly, hand touching the warm indent that his body had left. He stood there for a minute, just watching her, before walking out on deck into the blinding sun.

She slowly stretched, yawning hugely before wincing. She was so incredibly sore… she grinned wryly. She couldn't believe she had let him get away with all that… but after her period of incarceration, he was the only person who could make her feel alive. And last night was no exception. She slowly sat up, still fuzzy from sleep. She drew the sheet up to her chest, feeling the spot next to her. It was empty, but still warm. So he had just left. She nodded. After all, a captain couldn't stay in bed all day long. She slowly hobbled over to the mirror, wincing as she lifted her head to view the new scars. She was a tapestry of scars, and always would be. Especially if she stayed with Kidd. She grinned. Well, now was as good a time as any to catch up on her writing and do some reading. She had definitely missed those simple, life sustaining activates. And now, Kidd and the crew wouldn't bother her. Kidd because he was leading his crew and thinking she was asleep, and the crew because Kidd would kill whomever was stupid enough to come close to his rooms. She laughed softly, drawing some steaming hot water in the small bathroom. She slowly let herself sink in, sighing in bliss, watching as some of the wounds began to close. She laid her head back and sighed again, using some fragrant soap she had stashed in there. After a minute she pulled out a book, flipping through the dog eared pages to where she had left off last. It felt like years since she had read this spot, but it had only been about two weeks… she squirmed, uneasy with that trail of thought, shaking her head and relaxing into her bath-and-book. After about an hour, she was wrinkly as a raisin and as happy as a clam. She got out of the bath, feeling much less sore and more awake. She didn't know why, but she seemed to have this half smile that stayed on her face. She should be furious. But somehow, she just couldn't muster the energy to be mad. She was a little upset to be sure, but the righteous indignation and anger just wouldn't come. She sighed. Now was probably the best time to catch up on writing her book. Well, books plural, actually, but whoever wrote just one story? She smiled and wrapped a blanket around her body, hobbling over to the desk to get her materials, then going back to the bed, sitting down with a relived sigh. She didn't think she could handle sitting on a hard surface… she blushed, pushing such thoughts away with an embarrassed cough.

And then, she wrote. She wrote for hours, the sun crawling across the floor, her pen flying across the pages. The only noise was the steady, dull roar of the sea, a cry of a sea bird, the scratching of her pen and the occasional swish of paper as it was flipped over. A bug crawled across the path of light, and a moth flew out through a crack in the window to freedom. She sat through all of it, writing and writing. A little after noon, she leaned back and grabbed her neck, pulling out a crick and sighing. She pulled the book up to admire it. There were some modifications that could be done, she mumbled, eyeing her work critically, but overall, a good start. Middle. End. Whatever it turned out to be. She grinned, pure happiness beaming out from her face as her eyes closed with the strength of her smile. She laughed softly, looking out the window at the far along day. Suddenly her stomach rumbled at her, and she grabbed it, feeling somewhat faint. It had been awhile since she had eaten… but she was somewhat reluctant to leave her new sanctuary. She really didn't know how to talk to Kidd after this… she shook her head. Just like I normally would, I suppose, she thought. Her stomach growled again and her eyes tightened, hunger winning out over self preservation.

Suddenly the door opened and a figure strode quickly through the doors, letting it slam shut behind him. He walked over to the side of her bed, looking around his room in befuddlement. There was paper everywhere… then he looked to where the paper and books were the thickest, on his bed. He saw midnight eyes flecked with purple staring at him warily, her hair wild and curly from a recent bath. He saw the bathroom door opened and cocked an eyebrow at her. She looked back at him regally, in nothing but a blanket, glancing from the bathroom door to him before nodding. He nodded back. "Good" he said, startling her with the noise so much that she almost fell off the bed. She righted herself, her face red as she made sure she was all covered still. He chuckled before continuing, "I was going to suggest a bath to ease your soreness. But if I had suggested it," he grinned evilly, "You would probably be sorer, since I would have to come with you." She snorted elegantly, sure that only mayhem would have resulted from doing anything in the bathroom with him. She unconsciously moved her body between him and her records, eyeing the rest around the room restlessly. He wasn't paying attention to her, however, caught up in the detailed pictures and words woven on the papers in front of him. He picked some up, flipping through them, keeping an eye on her. She was tense, eyeing him carefully, but not moving in his direction. He shrugged slightly, narrowing his eyes to read the flowing handwriting on the page. He walked over to the window, still reading. He opened the curtain, flooding the room with more light. Burakkuson blinked as her eyes dilated, her face blank with surprise. He was actually putting forth effort to reading what she wrote. She clasped her hands, grinning a silly grin down at them. No one had ever read her stories before, besides a few people from long, long ago. The one he was reading was a sort of historical fiction; she used some of the real life events that had happened around her to weave a fictional tale. It was still in progress, being scattered all over the room. He leaned up against the wall, settling into stillness except to turn pages or look for other pages that were scattered around the room. She slowly relaxed, going back to her books, reading excerpts and old notes from herself and others, writing in other books, doing a little bit of this and that.

He had glanced up earlier, just in time to see her smile to herself, the biggest smile he had ever seen on her face. He smiled, a small smile, happy to see her happy, not really thinking about his reaction, a strange one for him. He kept reading, noticing when she relaxed and returned to her own work, her face intense and concentrated but content. He could tell that this is what she really loved doing with her life. She loved to read, write, and draw, putting all these skills together to craft some amazing, beautiful books. He looked down at the large sheaf in his hand, somewhat rueful that he had been caught up by it. But he kept going, sucked into the story she had masterfully woven. The light faded, but they didn't move, only moving when they needed to. Kidd slowly sat down at the edge of the window, absorbed in her story, and she sat on the bed, papers strewn about, diagrams, illustrations, notes and books everywhere. She sifted through it all, finding what she needed, but more often than not getting sidetracked by other books and papers, or creating a drawing for a scene that she felt needed emphasis. Throughout all of the fun writing and reading, she had the serious, life altering words as well, hidden from the world and from Kidd. He wasn't ready yet… besides, she thought, if he lives long enough, he might find out all of this himself. A grim smile hovered over her lips. Of course, I will make sure that he makes it. I do believe he will be… the next Pirate King. She started, surprised at herself, and eyes wide open and her fingers touching her lips, staring straight ahead.

Kidd looked up, distracted by her abrupt movement. He scowled slightly, not liking to be interrupted. His face relaxed as he looked at her, staring at her strange expression. His expression became quizzical, and she looked over at him, surprise written all over her face. When she saw his look, though, she burst out laughing, holding her stomach tightly and chortling. She was still sore, but it was worth it, seeing his face! His scowl became more pronounced, and he stepped menacingly towards her. She waved him off, still clutching her stomach and giggling. He paused, unsure. He had never heard her giggle before. It was a strange sound. She got her breath and looked at him, tears of mirth still in her eyes. She smiled at him, a smile to rival the sun fading behind her. He just looked at her, not sure where this was going. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, then opened them straight at him, eyes full of certainty as she said simply and straightforward, "I believe in you. You will be the next Pirate King. And I will be at your side, helping you however I can." He just looked at her, a strange expression on his face. Then he grinned, some of the normal, self assured, sadistic Kidd lighting up his eyes as he said, "Of course. There was never any doubt about those things to begin with." She chuckled, content now that she had decided on her course._ I hope… the others have had some of the same luck. Or perhaps_ she thought sardonically, a wry smile on her lips as she looked at the man who had given and drawn blood last night,_ better luck than me. Who knows… but I feel that we will all be meeting sometime in the near future._ She grinned with wicked humor, curling her hand into a claw._ I look forward to it!_


End file.
